Mike Kainz, age 56, is the founding brewmaster and co-owner of Wild Onion Brewery in Lake Barrington, IL. Graduated with a BA from Denison University in 1987, double majoring in French and Economics. Mike spent his junior year in college studying in Paris, France, where he learned to appreciate all the amazing styles and flavors of beer that have been brewed in Europe for centuries. Upon returning to the States in 1986, Mike began home brewing out of necessity to recreate those full-bodied styles of beer-the craft beer revolution was in its infancy at that point, with few choices of beer styles available to consumers at that point.

Mike joined the Peace Corps after college, working as an agriculture volunteer in Morocco. He was tasked with converting a 2 1/2 acre lot to a functioning small-scale farm on the grounds of an orphanage in the town of Taroudant in southern Morocco. This experience led to his lifelong passion of sustainable gardening and composting.

Together with his family, Mike founded Wild Onion Brewery in 1996 in Lake Barrington. The original brewery was located in a leased warehouse two blocks away from its current location on Pepper Road. Mike brewed the beer, while brothers Pat and John delivered to local bars and stores. The Kainz family purchased the current property that houses the Pub, Brewery and Banquet Hall in 2000, and opened it's doors in 2003.

Topics To Discuss:
-Restoration of former gravel quarry and grounds to native plants and trees.
-Construction of a highly energy efficient building and brewery, incorporating geothermal technology and a new construction product.
-Ongoing focus of energy conservation in all of the company’s operations has been a focus for the past 19 years of operation.
-Maintaining and managing the restored prairie vegetation using traditional techniques.
-Implementation of composting in back of property, followed by building a small-scale vermiculture farm.