What happens when beer nerds in Washington, DC have too much time on their hands?  Well, this:

[L]ast week, a group of enterprising beer enthusiasts petitioned the White House via the administration’s “We The People” site vowing to answer citizen questions that collect enough signatures. “In keeping with the brewing traditions of the founding fathers, homebrewers across America call on the Obama Administration to release the recipe for the White House home brew so that it may be enjoyed by all.” Unfortunately, as Government Executive’s Tom Shoop notes, their efforts may come to nought: “The petition had only 276 signatures, well short of the 25,000 needed to get an official response.”

However, America’s thirstiest patriots tried another route. On Internet hivemind website Reddit this week, a user set off a joyful thread after submitting a Freedom of Information Act request to the White House for “all information including created recipes or instructions relating to the brewing of White House Honey Ale or other beer made by White House staff.”

“This is brilliant,” said one user. “That’s awesome, dude,” said another.

They’re getting closer to their goal — at post time, the petition had garnered support from more than 2,600 curious drinkers.

Too bad for these beer enthusiasts — the White House isn’t subject to FOIA.