Hoosier biochemists, brewers pour up America's past for its 250th birthday

• The brew is being made by Upland Brewing Company in collaboration with Bloomington Brewing Company, Heartwork Brewing, The Tap and Towaki Brewing Company.

Between the lines: Associate professor Matt Bochman told Axios the unique semiquincentennial celebration is the result of not wanting his crew to be left out of the bash.

• There was a callout across the College of Arts and Sciences seeking ideas related to each department's discipline as Hoosiers commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with special performances, new courses, exhibits, tours and more.

What he's saying: "I'm chair of the biochemistry department, and 250 years ago biochemistry didn't exist, so that shoots us in the foot right away," said Bochman, a self-professed beer nerd who founded the company Wild Pitch Yeast to support craft and homebrewers with lab services more than a decade ago.

• "But the founding fathers and the founding mothers …they were home brewers, so maybe that's a way we could get involved."

Zoom in: Bochman and his team set out to recreate George Washington's homebrew recipe with modern ingredients by collecting yeast from colonial-era Indiana oak trees.

• "It ended up being an ABV of like 5 or 5.5%. Light body, so it's super drinkable," Bochman said of the beer, which he described as an "English Mild."

• "You can tell it's not a modern craft beer," Bochman said. "It's not just the yeast character you're tasting. It's not just the molasses. It's got these layers of flavor, and to me it's really interesting because it's not just a one-hit wonder."

What's next: After a debut at the Indiana Brewers Guild Springfest event in early April and a follow-up sampling at Taxman's Death & Taxes Day the next week, the beer is set for a wide release in Bloomington in late June.

• Bochman is also looking to collaborate with brewers statewide on more interesting brews.