The Wisconsin Department of Revenue has revoked the alcohol license of Minocqua Brewing Company, owned by progressive activist Kirk Bangstad. The decision follows a raid last month that seized products allegedly transported from Illinois without proper permits and taxes.
Bangstad, who has publicly promised free beer on the day of former President Donald Trump’s death, claims the revocation is politically motivated. In a Substack post, he stated that the state is targeting the brewery, which he describes as 'the state's most progressive brewery.'
The brewery initially offered free beer on the day of Trump’s death in a January 22 Facebook post. Bangstad also faced FBI questioning over the comment, which he made after the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting. He later stated he was 'ready to pour free beer the day it happens,' referring to Trump’s death.
The brewery sells beers named after progressive figures, including Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Bangstad has vowed to fight the revocation, calling it 'ridiculous' and urging supporters to donate to a legal defense fund. The state seized all of the company's canned beer last month, citing illegal transportation and unpaid taxes.