We don’t know what Hop Obama tastes like, having never sampled the brewski, but we do know that it is has brought chuckles today. This morning Brownstoner reported that the Feds “recently forced the beer maker to shut down production of its popular ‘Hop Obama’ line started during campaign season. Even the Department of Homeland Security got involved, threatening to seize the brewery.” The plot recently thickened with Ben Smith reporting ont The Politico that the brewmaster’s story was, uh, not entirely true: “tale may be great marketing, the real story is, er, a bit less dramatic, Six Point spokesman Jeff Gorlechen conceded in an interview just now. In fact, the division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms that regulates alcohol labeling (and is now under DHS) sent a letter to the brewery in December raising to a variety of minor labeling issues, including details of alcohol content, the question of whether one beer should be referred to as “Belgian” or “Belgian-style,” — and, in the case of Hop Obama, a rule against naming consumer products for celebrities who haven’t actually endorsed them. “It’s not like the U.S. government thought we were a threat to homeland security,” Gorlechen said. “The whole thing is being blown completely out of proportion.” Next up, we sample Hop Obama, because Mr. B, who we know to be a gentleman of good taste in brews, thinks the stuff “may be the best beer we’ve ever tasted.” All in all, a great day of viral marketing for Sixpoints and Hop Obama.