I was at my LHS a few weeks ago and I was asking him about Fireside nutbrown ale which has a "different flavor" the guy at the store had made clones of this brewers beers and told me it was Maple syrup in this particular beer that gave the "different" flavor.
I've never used it but I have read that you want to use grade B and not grade A in brewing. B is said to retain much more flavor than A. My sister in NY says you can buy it anywhere there but I can't find it in Utah. A friend of mine uses Aunt Jemima or something in his and I think it tastes phony like fake maple but he seems to like it. His porter that he used it in wouldn't carb either and I think the stuff he used might have had preservatives in it. Make sure you read the label.
A syrup like Aunt Jemima or Log Cabin is about 90% Corn Syrup. There is generally less than 7% actual maple syrup in any of those and most don't have any. If you read the label carefully, it should say maple flavor syrup. Any actual maple syrup will cost about 3-5x's per ounce that the standard store bough syrup does. You will need to look for 100% Maple Syrup on the label and in the west/southwest this can be found at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joes and many supermarkets.
The corn syrup in the Aunt Jemima's is probably what caused the "fake" taste and it will be loaded with preservatives. Ray, you are right, absolutely read the labels on aything you put in your brew. And remember that Maple Syrup has some unfermentable sugar in it, so it won't be as carbonated as a corn sugar or cane sugar primer.
Maple needs some sweetness. A dry cider wouldn't work. If you back-sweeten, then okay.
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