For brewer Ilan Klages-Mundt, the November opening of Insight Brewing Co. was the end of a journey that began in 2010 when he set out on a yearlong global adventure to intern at some of the world's most prestigious breweries. His travels in England, Denmark, Belgium and Japan gave him the knowledge and inspiration needed to keep driving toward his destination — running a brewery of his own.
The seeds of Klages-Mundt's infatuation with beer were planted when he was a music student in Appleton, Wis. With his first sip of craft beer — a stout from Sand Creek Brewing Co. in Black River Falls — he was hooked. He started home-brewing and researching, learning everything he could about the art and craft of making beer.
His passion was noticed by a professor who encouraged him to apply for a fellowship, offered to students to pursue interests unrelated to their major. Though Klages-Mundt didn't get the fellowship, he was able to parlay the contacts he had made into a dream trip supported by promises of room and board.
The first stop was picking hops in West Kent, England. That was followed by time at the Fuller's Brewery in London. From there he set off for Japan to work at the Kiuchi Brewery, makers of the Hitachino Nest beers. He worked at the Fanø Bryghus in Denmark doing contract brewing for the likes of gypsy brewer Mikkeller. Later he was hired as head brewer at the Søgaards Bryghus brewpub in Aalborg, Denmark. He capped off the experience with a bike and brewery tour of France and Belgium.
The most difficult stop was at the Kiuchi Brewery, where he had 90- to 100-hour workweeks. As the new guy, Klages-Mundt spent those long hours doing the most menial brewery tasks. Though unpleasant at the time, he says the experience proved invaluable.
Tips from the pros
The most meaningful advice came from the brewmaster at the Fuller's Brewery, who taught him to "keep it simple."
"Many brewers throw too many things in and get a muddled flavor," says Klages-Mundt. He pares his recipes down to just a few ingredients, seeking to build complexity by maximizing the unique characteristics that each one brings.
The name Insight was chosen to reflect the lessons of the road. Working with some of the world's greatest brewers, Klages-Mundt gained deep insights into the brewing process, the beer industry and beer cultures. Through his beer, he wants to share those lessons with drinkers here at home.