Brew Camp Shutters For Lack Of License

Fans who intend to put together President Obama's White House beers are going to have to gather their ingredients the old-fashioned way since Brew Camp, the Chicago-area home-brewing school and brewing supply shop, has run afoul of that city's licensing laws and has been asked to halt all sales until the issue is worked out.

The shop, school, and mail-order store that was selling brew-at-home kits for President Obama's White House Honey Blonde Ale and Porter, appears to have run into issues by not having a full food-service license, which the city says is necessary if it intends to continue selling pre-packaged yeast, grains, and hops. When the city found out it lacked the license but was selling those things, it told the shop to stop selling everything, including equipment, until the issue is resolved. The shop has closed its doors in the meantime, The Chicago Tribune reports.

At the moment, even bottle caps are off the table. 

Brew Camp says it did not get correct licensing information from the city at the store's beginning, but that the issue is fixable.

"We now know that not every homebrew shop in the area has a food license," reads the Brew Camp Twitter feed. "(Doesn't mean we don't need one ... still not sure.)"

According to the company website, they're using the opportunity of being shut down by the city to do some renovations on their store.

"When life gives you lemons, make a good Shandy!" the website proclaims.