Brewing Issue: What Beer Should the President Drink?

“What’ll you have?”

A good question to ask house guests or a catchy slogan if you’re Pabst Brewing. But it becomes a more complicated question to answer when you’re the leader of the free world, where every action and every decision is analyzed. Yes, when you’re the President of the United States even your choice in beer is scrutinized.

Recently, President Barack Obama stopped at Ziggy’s Bar in Amherst, Ohio about 30 miles outside of Cleveland. The President stayed for about 90 minutes, stopping at each table to talk with patrons and pose for photos. In those photos, the President is seen drinking a Miller Lite draft and later, a bottle of Bud Light.

The photos created headlines about the President's “carefully orchestrated appearance” designed to appeal to "working class” crowds and his choice of beer was presumed to be evidence of that.

It's a logical conclusion, as Bud Light has been in the political spotlight before. It was President Obama's beer of choice for a 2009 White House beer summit with Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and policeman James Crowley.

But the choice may come as a surprise to some beer fans, who might expect President Obama to select a craft beer, especially since he has been known to brew his beer at the White House.

Marketing consultant Laura Ries thinks Bud Light is a good fit for the President.

“Going with Bud Light is a safe choice and is probably the best choice,” says Ries. “Bud says 'leader.' I think it is still believed by Joe SixPack across the nation to be an 'all-American' beer. Even though it is owned by a foreign conglomerate now, most people don’t think about it. The average person thinks of Budweiser as an American choice.”

The appeal for a politician, Ries suggests, lies in Bud Light's popularity.

“With Bud Light being the best-selling beer, obviously a majority of people are drinking it and for most people, Obama kicking back with a Bud Light is a relatable experience,” Ries continued. "Take a look at the list of best-selling beers and a majority of people are drinking light beers. In certain circles, Bud is looked down upon and only craft beer is cool, but for most people, they are drinking Budweiser, Bud Light and Coors Light, the general mass brands.”

What do you think? Should our country's leader have chosen a local Ohio craft beer, or did he make the right choice by appealing to the "working class?"

This article was written by Tom Rotunno and originally appeared on cnbc.com. Click here to read more.