Peyton is likely inactive for the foreseeable future, so we can only assume he’ll be drinking by himself on the sideline …
Being the 400-year-old man that he is, Peyton Manning hasn’t really been that great this season, and there’s even talk that he has played his last game as a Denver Bronco. Nonetheless, Manning is undoubtedly one of the all-time greats, so it’s only fitting that he be immortalized in the form of a new beer that Broncos fans can use to drink away the existential pain of his waning athleticism.
The Peyton Manning tribute beer is called Oatmaha, and is a joint craft brew collaboration between Denver’s Factotum Brewhouse and Indianapolis’ Tow Yard Brewing Co. It will be unveiled at Denver’s Collaboration Fest on March 19, 2016 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
The name is a reference to Manning’s oft-used ‘Omaha’ pre-snap call, then phonetically mashed with the beers primary ingredient, you guessed it: ‘oats,’ into a pun so dense you can literally sink your teeth into it.
The Colts and the Broncos, the homer teams of both brewers involved, set up a pretty obvious ‘horse’ theme, so the two companies decided to run with it — which explains why Oatmaha contains so many oats. Gotta feed those horsies with somethin’! Each state also has a key ingredient to add its own individual identity to the beer itself. To represent Indiana, the brewers integrate corn, while sage was used to exemplify Colorado.
Indiana could have also been represented by the soggy dregs of a Cracker Barrel ash tray, but that is neither here nor there …
Oddly, Oatmaha wasn’t the first name choice for Peyton Manning’s special snowflake tribute booze, believe it or not. The masterminds behind the concoction also waffled on ideas like ‘The Sheriff’ and, we kid you not, ‘Rocket-Laser Arm.’ We’re real partial to ‘Rocket-laser Arm Peyton Beer Thing.’
Factotum co-owner Laura Bruns notes that Manning’s name and likeness were both avoided for legal reasons, meaning we have no idea how amped or enraged he is about the whole endeavor. We’d say it would’ve been more of an amped-lean if they went the ‘Rock-Laser’ route.
Oatmaha is a careful effort to design a beer Manning himself would like, Bruns divulged in an interview with the Denver Post. In a January 2014 post-game press conference, after a win over the Chargers, Manning said he wanted a Bud Light to celebrate (he’s had a lot of concussions). So it’s Bud Light-like? Not so much …
It’s a “light and easy-drinking pale ale,” per a press release by the breweries. As far as brass tacks, Oatmaha is 5.1 percent ABV with 42 IBU.
All cynicism aside though, it’s a nice little token of appreciation for one of the best players ever, ol’ Peyton “Rocket-Laser” Manning. Here's to hoping he gets off his ancient ass this weekend and tosses the ball around to players not on the other team.
Tickets to Collaboration Fest are $50-$75 and are available online at collaborationfest.com.
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