Brooks Whittington
Opened in early 2015, Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. was founded by co-owners Joel Kamp, Chad Doane and Michael Brower in Muskegon, Mich. The craft brewery started out with a small 3.5-barrel system, and is named after a sand dune at the west end of Muskegon Lake that was mined for industrial production in the 1800s.
One of the most interesting concoctions to come out of Pigeon Hill Brewing Co. is O.C.P., better known as Oatmeal Crème Pie, a 6 percent ABV brown ale brewed with oats, marshmallow fluff and “other highly secret ingredients.” The beer was first released in 2014 as a draft-only option before being made available in six-packs of 12-ounce cans for the first time last month.
The Pigeon Hill website explains the history behind the beer:
O.C.P. / Oatmeal Crème Pie is the result of a challenge made by Joel Kamp’s wife: “I want a beer that tastes like an oatmeal crème pie.” Through the use of oats, marshmallow fluff, and other highly secret ingredients, O.C.P. was born. Tasting notes: Seriously, it tastes just like an oatmeal crème pie. “You down with O.C.P.?”
The Pigeon Hill Oatmeal Creme Pie pours a murky amber color and features about a finger of off-white head that quickly dissipates to a thing lacing. Visually, there seems to be plenty of carbonation and aroma coming from the glass is a combination of sweet malt, oatmeal, oak, wheat, vanilla.
From the first taste of the Pigeon Hill Oatmeal Creme Pie, both wheat and malt come in hard and fast on the palate, combined with a bit of generic sweetness. However, the real action is on the finish, where I taste some faint but distinct notes of oatmeal, vanilla bean, cereal and very slight marshmallow sweetness. The mouthfeel is extremely creamy, and the beer features the ideal amount of carbonation to accent the subtle flavors without overwhelming them.
