On September 18, Congressman Pat Ryan and his West Point classmate, Congressman John James, competed in Anheuser Busch’s annual Brew Across America Congressional Brewing Competition. Their beer, an Apple Rye Kolsch named “Spirit Mission,” was made with local Hudson Valley ingredients and bottled at the Newburgh Can Plant.

“I think we can all agree Congress would work a hell of a lot better with less partisanship and more people grabbing a beer with someone from the other side of the aisle. So, the chance to brew a beer with my West Point classmate John James that incorporates ingredients from across the Hudson Valley was a no-brainer,” Congressman Ryan said. “I want to thank Anheuser-Busch, specifically the IBEW members at the Newburgh Can Plant, for putting on this friendly bipartisan competition. Cheers!”
James is a Republican from Michigan. Their joint beer was brewed with apples from the Hudson Valley and cherries from Michigan.

“No matter what the outcome – I enjoyed brewing up a bipartisan beer with my friend and West Point classmate Pat Ryan,” he said. “Spirit Mission still had a great taste, and there’s nothing like a West Point-themed beer to bring college buddies together! Now, we refocus our efforts onto the next competition: beating Navy once again later this fall. Go Army! Beat Navy!”

Brew Across America is an annual Congressional brewing competition that Anheuser Busch launched in 2017. The Brew Democracy initiative promotes democracy by increasing opportunities for those from differing political backgrounds to come together over a beer and find common ground.