Thursday, August 21, 2008

First, we had Billy Beer - now there's...

"Senator Keg" or Obama beer.

Long before he became a top candidate for the Democratic Presidential ticket, Senator Barack Obama was inspiring a particular brand of prideful Obama-mania in Kenya, the birthplace of his late father, Barack Obama Sr., and the current home of his paternal grandmother. If the senator wins the nomination and even the Presidency, many Kenyans will be clinking glasses filled with a beloved product here that has hitched itself to the coattails of his fame and success: "Obama" beer.

Known officially as Senator Keg but as "Obama" by drinkers, the barley-based beer is marketed specifically by its manufacturer—East African Breweries Limited, or EABL, a subsidiary of London-based Diageo—to low-income consumers who have few options for a safe, affordable, and legal beer.