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Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you and your current job?I am a co-founder and Maestro at Insight Brewing.
What was the inspiration behind your brewery? Back in 2007, I traveled to Denmark and accidentally tasted the world’s highest rated beer, which happened to be brewed by monks in Belgium. That moment, the sun came out, birds started chirping, and I knew what I wanted to do in the world. This experience led to a trip around the world in 2010 and 2011, where I apprenticed at breweries in Europe and Japan, biking everywhere I went while visiting festivals and working on a hop farm as well. This trip was the basis for what we do as a brewery: Bringing the world of beer back to our customer.
Can you give us a tour of your beer scene? MN has a fast-growing craft beer scene, with well over 100 breweries now operating state-wide. The passing of a bill five years ago that allowed breweries to have taprooms started the craft beer boom in the state, leading to some exceptional beers being brewed by many breweries.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a brewery?Today’s marking is still growing quickly, but there is now a lot of competition in the market. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for more breweries because there is, but a dedicated focus on quality and differentiation is now key to starting a successful brewery. Aside from these items, make sure you pay attention to the business side of the brewery and do whatever you need to do to start with plenty of capital because you don’t know what you don’t know.
