Hey President Obama! I'd like a Beer Summit, too!

I suppose I've got a few things working against me...

• No, I did not vote for you.
• No, I'm not a Democrat.
• No, I don't have a million dollars to donate.
• No, I'm not involved (nor do I plan to be) in any racially-charged incidents.
• No, I'm not a close and influential relative of a foreign leader...

However, I *do* like beer -- a lot.

So here's the deal, Mr. President...

You stock up the White House beer refrigerator with Yuengling Traditional Lager, and I'll come over and throw a few back with you.

I'll get to do several things I've never done: I've never been to Washington, and I've never met a President. You'll get to hear my take on things, completely BS free (especially after throwing back a few beers). Plus, you'll get to enjoy some damn good beer.

Naturally, I don't expect to get an invitation any time soon. So tonight, I'm holding my own Beer Summit...

Samuel Adams Summer Ale

My wife had a buy-one, get-one coupon for Ruby Tuesday's, so we took the opportunity to go out.

Ruby Tuesday's lists Yuengling as one of their selections, but alas, it is only available in their east-coast establishments. Crap! Fortunately, this heartbreak was known to me in advance, so I knew that I had to select a reasonable alternative.

Samuel Adams to the rescue!! Summer Ale on tap!!

Summer Ale is a mildly cloudy wheat beer. The SA web site says that it has some lemon, along with "grains of paradise" (a pepper). I certainly picked up on the spice flavor - nutmeg or cinnamon comes to mind. The lemon is there, too, although not over-the-top. The fruit overtones the website mentions are there, too, but this isn't one of those sweet beers. It is a nicely balanced, smooth finishing wheat beer.

For dinner, I got the "top sirloin" steak, which comes with fried onion straws, mashed potatoes, and broccoli (I can't stand broccoli, so I doubled-up on the mashed potatoes).

For the record, SA Summer Ale goes VERY well with steak. I think it would go well with damn near anything!