White House Hit by FOIA Request —for Beer Recipe

Rarely has an FOIA request been used to uncover something so intoxicating: Beer lovers are asking the White House to release the recipe for its homebrew. President Obama told a voter last week that he travels with White House Honey Ale, then had a bottle brought out of his campaign bus, Government Executive reports. Homebrewers launched a petition on the White House site asking for the recipe (they want it released "in keeping with the brewing traditions of the founding fathers"), but it only had 1,930 signatures as of this morning, and it needs 25,000 in order to get an official response.

But no worries, because there are other paths to the beer recipe's release: One Redditer emailed the White House Office of Public Engagement, claiming the recipe should be disclosed because it was probably "developed by staff paid for by American taxpayers." Another Redditer submitted the FOIA request, asking for the recipe and adding, "Also, if you could send me a copy autographed by the president, you'd be the coolest FOIA officer in the federal government, and who could resist that title?" Unfortunately, the Raw Story notes, the beer recipe probably isn't considered an official government document and thus the FOIA request may not work. (More Freedom of Information Act stories.)