Manning-themed beer hits market, Mountain Dew sponsors Pacers’ fan space

Indianapolis microbrewery Tow Yard Brewing Co. and Denver-based Factotum Brewhouse are partnering to make a Peyton Manning-themed beer—named Oatmaha—ahead of this Sunday’s Broncos-Colts clash at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The two breweries are being careful not to use Manning’s name or image or that of the NFL in conjunction with the beer, but make no mistake, the new beer is definitely being made with Manning in mind.

A statement from both breweries said they are “collaborating on a beer that honors the professional quarterback significant to” Denver and Indianapolis.

The beer will feature corn to represent Indiana and sage to represent Colorado, explained Tony Fleming, head brewer of Tow Yard Brewing Co.  Also, because Manning has played for both horse-themed NFL teams, the beer will contain oats.
 
“The beer will be named Oatmaha, an homage to the ingredient and the quarterback’s favorite play call,” Fleming said.

Manning is often heard yelling “Omaha” just before the ball is snapped. The word is used either as a decoy or as a signal to change the play at the line of scrimmage—depending on who you ask.

The beer will be a representation of the athlete and his career, said Laura Bruns, co-owner of Factotum.  The brewers know from a January, 2014 post-game press conference that “said athlete enjoys light, domestic lagers so, to keep in accordance with his palate, this collaborative beer will be a light and easy-drinking pale ale—but with a few twists.”

The beer will be available at both breweries’ taprooms and at the third annual Collaboration Fest in Denver, a beer festival in which all beers are collaborations between Colorado Brewers Guild members and other breweries.  

Factotum will visit Tow Yard on November 7—the day before Denver plays Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium—to brew the batch that will be served in Indianapolis.  

Tow Yard officials will visit Denver in early 2016 to brew the batch that will be available at the festival.

Tow Yard, located on Madison Avenue just east of Lucas Oil Stadium, is the home of the Blue Crew’s pre-game festivities and often one of the more crowded pre- and post-game spots on Colts game days.

This Sunday Tow Yard could find itself serving beer to just as many Manning and Broncos fans as it does to Colts fans.  

While we’re on sports and drink-themed topics, the Indiana Pacers will soon unveil a new fan section to replace Area 55, which was a section named for Pacers center Roy Hibbert, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in the off-season. Area 55 was one of the loudest, rowdiest sections in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

In the coming days, the Pacers will unveil a section at the Fieldhouse themed for guard Rodney Stuckey and sponsored by Pepsi Co.’s Mountain Dew.

The theme of the section will be “high energy,” said Pacers sales boss Todd Taylor. The section will be called Rodney Stuckey's Crew Charged by Mountain Dew. Signage for the new section will be installed early next week.

More details on other elements of the section will be announced in the coming days when the Pacers get final creative material from Pepsi officials. Fans to populate the new section have already been selected after tryouts were held during the preseason.