Prez likes Ubu Ale

Modern Brewery Age, Nov 6, 2000

AP--Talk about a presidential order. Christopher Ericson, owner of The Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, of Lake Placid, NY, has taken three for the brewery's Ubu Ale in as many months. One came from President Bill Clinton's staff during the chief executives birthday weekend holiday here in August; another from Washington, D.C., a week later for some homebrewed ale; and one last week from the New York Times through the presidents staff for an upcoming reception.

Ericson said it all began in August when about a dozen members of the president's staff were having dinner at the pub and spotted a brewery T-shirt featuring Ubu Ale and a chocolate Labrador retriever similar to the Clinton family's dog, Buddy.

"We have T-shirts with Ubu, who looks like a huge Buddy," explained Ericson. "They came in for dinner Friday. They ended up buying T-shirts for themselves and President and Mrs. Clinton and a growler (half gallon) of Ubu Ale."

Presidential aide Steven Boyd told the Press-Republican that the staff presented the president with the T-shirt for his birthday the following day, Aug. 19. Boyd did not mention the growler of beer, but Ericson said he believed the president sampled it and apparently liked it.

Either way, Boyd called the following week, after the staff returned to Washington, and requested that the pub ship down some Ubu.

"He wanted us to send some beer," said Ericson. "I had an address. I needed to send the beer to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave."