A simulation of suds

(Credit: Submitted by Sun King Brewing )

Malts, hops, water quality, yeast strands, brewer’s skills — variances in any of those elements explain why the same styles of beer taste differently from one brewery to the next. 

Twice a year, through its ReplicAle program, the Brewers of Indiana Guild gives breweries a chance to highlight those subtle, but distinct, differences. The guild provides a recipe to participating breweries, and everybody re-creates it using the same malts. They brew the beer to a specific alcohol and bitterness range. And the hops are added into the wort (pre-fermented beer) at the same point in the process.

“We all perform the same essential process,” said Clay Robinson of Sun King Brewing. “We just go about it in different ways.”

Robinson and Sun King’s Dave Colt have been shepherding the Indiana ReplicAle program for the past five years. The recipe changes every time. New Albanian Brewing Co.’s Jared Williamson provided this winter’s recipe, based on a historic beer from New Albany’s Southern Indiana Ice and Beverage Co.

Ackerman’s Imperial Double Stout ReplicAle made its debut at the Winterfest beer festival Jan. 29 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Sixteen Indiana breweries re-created the mildly hopped beer. The recipe includes aromatic dark chocolate, roast barley, caramel and cherry smoked malts.

“There are a lot of chocolate and espresso notes in the beers,” said Hoosier Beer Geek’s Jim Dimitri. “Some of them have a sweeter note to them; some are smokier.”

For those who missed the ReplicAles at Winterfest, or who want to revisit them, the beers will be tapped at 6 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Tomlinson Tap Room in City Market, 222 E. Market St. Versions will be presented by Broad Ripple Brewpub, Crown Brewing, Great Crescent Brewing, People’s Brewing, Rock Bottom’s Downtown and Northside locations, Sun King and Upland. New Albanian’s version will be served from a cask.

Many of the brewers will be there as well. Colt will talk about the ReplicAle program, while Williamson will discuss the recipe and the process of re-creating a historic beer.

“I’m a big fan of looking back and re-creating historical beers,” Williamson said. “Knowing and replicating our past brewers’ achievements and allowing the public to share in our celebration of brewing treasures of yesteryear — that is the essence of the project.”