“Free Beer The Day Trump Dies”: Minocqua Brewing Company Now Facing Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue Threat To Revoke Their License

Hi folks,

Kirk Bangstad here, owner of the Minocqua Brewing Company.

Our state’s major league baseball team is called the Milwaukee Brewers, Wisconsin practically invented the term “craft beer,” yet Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue is trying to shut down the state’s most progressive brewery for violations that can only be described as laughable.

Two weeks ago, I received a letter from Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue telling me that they plan to revoke my permit to operate as a brewer in Wisconsin on August 4th—a little over a week from now.

I couldn’t believe it and neither could the law firm that handles my liquor permits. Both my liquor lawyer and his law partner give talks at conferences that help train the Department of Revenue’s alcohol enforcement officers on how to interpret Wisconsin’s complicated liquor laws, and both said they’ve never seen the state come down so hard on a brewer before. They both believe that someone in Wisconsin’s government is trying to make an example out of me, and they’ve told me to fight this with everything I’ve got.

I created charts that I’ve attached that spell out each allegation that Nicole Zautner, a special agent with the Department of Revenue’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages (DAB), made against us.

Note, Special Agent Zautner is one of the most junior agents in the department, with less than two years experience (sworn in on January 12, 2025).

In the few charts below, I’ve identified the actual laws she said we broke, what we actually did versus what she alleged we did, how we tried to transparently rectify every issue she had with us over the course of 6 months, and why her recommendation to shut us down for these minor violations is over-the-top.

If you don’t want to waste your time reading through all of the detail, here’s the common thread that ties it all together.

Our brewery is very popular among progressives throughout the Upper Midwest because we actively fight against right-wing authoritarianism and corruption. As a result of our political activism, we’ve been boycotted by beer distributors and major grocery chains. Everything we’ve had to do differently than others in the brewing industry stems from the fact that the 2nd tier of the 3 tier alcohol distribution system—which was created by and for huge nationwide breweries and all-powerful distributors—refuse to work with us.

Once you “understand” that all of the laws that agent Zautner said we broke were created to help large distributors take advantage of small breweries, you can see the “whole picture,” and how the government can use byzantine liquor laws to put “mouthy brewers” out of business.

–Wrong Interpretation of the Laws

Most of Zautner’s alleged “violations” stem from us legally contracting with an Illinois brewer to produce our beer, which we did because Wisconsin forbade us from shipping beer online to our customers around the country from within Wisconsin’s borders—even though they allowed all Wisconsin breweries to do this during Covid.

–Refusal to Allow Us to Rectify Alleged Violations

At each step of Agent Zautner’s investigation into our business, we tried to transparently work with her and the rest of the DAB to come back into compliance, even though my lawyers didn’t think she fully understood the law because she was so new to the agency. According to my lawyers, who have been working with the state on behalf of breweries for over 20 years, the path for brewers to rectify DOR violations includes being truthful and transparent with alcohol enforcement agents, and presenting a plan on how to get back into compliance. We constantly tried to do that over the last 6 months, and the DAB purposefully blocked all avenues for us to fix the problems they said we had. As a result, they’re now attempting to use those violations to shut us down.

–No violations amount to over $500 in lost tax revenue or illegal sales, and the entire investigation of our company was predicated on false complaints made by MAGA trolls.

The most ridiculous part of of this whole debacle is that Agent Zautner’s alleged investigation into our company began over a bunch of false complaints lodged by MAGA trolls that claimed, for example, that we spit in our food and put Covid 19 vaccine into our beer—stuff they got from my many tongue-in-cheek Facebook posts. She claims that she decided to look into our operations further because there were over 80 of these meritless complaints. What she found, after the most painful proctology exam we’ve ever experienced, had nothing to do with those complaints and less than $500 worth of missed excise taxes, unpermitted alcohol sales, and late permit applications. Attempting to shut down a $2 million dollar business for such minor infractions begs the question: “What’s the REAL REASON this is happening?”

–Either Agent Zautner is wildly overzealous, or she’s doing the bidding of beer distributors who want to cancel us and/or establishment Democrats in Wisconsin’s Executive Branch who want to silence us.

It’s hard for me to believe that Special Agent Nicole Zauter, who is only 2 years into this job, is this wildly overzealous about putting me out of business. While I have no love for law enforcement after repeatedly being thrown in jail by corrupt Minocqua and Oneida County cops for exercising my right to free speech, I think it takes a special kind of evil to come after a company this hard for such minor tax violations.

That’s why I think there’s something more sinister at play. I worry that some power players in Wisconsin’s Tavern League, or Wisconsin’s Corporate wing of the Democratic Party, are leaning on special agent Zautner and/or her bosses to make an example out of me.

Wisconsin’s Tavern league, who represents Wisconsin’s largest beer distributors, is known to be a powerful ally to Wisconsin’s Republican Party. There’s no doubt in my mind that both beer distributors AND Republicans want me out of this state.

Wisconsin’s Democratic Party recently disavowed me over a joke I made about giving away free beer when Trump dies, and they’re actively trying to block Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong from winning the Democratic Primary for Governor. Hong was endorsed early by the Fighting Oligarchy Coalition—a progressive resistance organization that I helped form soon after Trump’s inauguration—that has been highly critical of establishment Democrats for their unwillingness to fight hard enough to save Democracy. When I briefly ran for Governor, the Wisconsin Elections Commission went through my nomination papers with a fine-toothed comb and invalidated hundreds of signatures which ultimately knocked me off the ballot. Only after I was no longer able to run for Governor was my brewery raided by Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue and the beer I made in Illinois confiscated.

Regardless of who i think is behind this, attempting to shut down a brewery that has the largest social media following in the state, and thats sells over $2 million dollars worth of beer and merchandise throughout the country, is anti-American and anti-Wisconsin.

Everyone reading this, Democrat or Republican, should recoil at the thought of a small and thriving business being destroyed by their state government over such small violations—especially a brewery in the state of Wisconsin!

As you can imagine, I’m not taking this lying down. We’re going to fight the state of Wisconsin tooth and nail, and once again, they’ll have to pry me out of my taprooms before I stop selling beer to thirsty progressives who come to visit us.

But I could use your help. As usual, fighting to keep my business alive means I have to pay lawyers, and that’s never cheap. Every time this happen’s, I rack up $100K in legal bills before we even see a judge. If you can help chip in to the Minocqua Company’s legal defense fund, I’d really appreciate it.

here’s the link to donate:

https://buy.stripe.com/7sYbIT1S090709RbpZ97G00

At some point, I believed there would be a light at the end of this tunnel, and that we’d finally be able to beat all the folks who can’t stand that someone with a large megaphone in rural Wisconsin keeps speaking truth to power. I’m no longer sure there is a light at the end of this tunnel, but that maybe life IS THE TUNNEL and the light only appears when the flesh stops fighting and the soul is allowed to find it.

Regardless, as long as I’m in this tunnel of life, I’m going to use my megaphone to try to make things better. Please help me keep doing that by donating to our legal fund, buying beer, buying merchandise, or subscribing to the Minocqua Brewing Company Times.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking with the Minocqua Brewing Company.

We’ll keep fighting for you if you keep fighting for us.

Kirk Bangstad

Owner, Minocqua Brewing Company/ Minocqua Marketplace

Publisher, Minocqua Brewing Company Times

This from July 26th: The DOR only raided my business after the Wisconsin Elections Commission knocked me off the ballot for Governor

About Minocqua Brewing Company

Founded by Kirk Bangstad, Minocqua Brewing Company has firmly established itself as one of the most talked-about and politically active independent craft breweries in the United State and throughout the Upper Midwest. Operating out of northern Wisconsin—a state practically synonymous with the craft beer tradition and home to major league baseball teams like the Milwaukee Brewers—Minocqua Brewing Company blends traditional brewing culture with vocal, progressive political activism.

Since its inception, the brewery has championed causes that fight against right-wing authoritarianism and corporate corruption, turning the taproom into a vibrant community hub for progressives, travelers, and beer enthusiasts alike. This unwavering commitment to political free speech and social justice has made Minocqua Brewing Company exceptionally popular among patrons who believe businesses should stand up for democratic values, though it has simultaneously drawn fierce opposition from establishment figures, conservative critics, and traditional industry gatekeepers.

Operating a progressive enterprise in a historically conservative rural landscape has presented unique logistical hurdles for Kirk Bangstad and his team. Because of the brewery’s outspoken activism and progressive stance, Minocqua Brewing Company has frequently faced systemic roadblocks within the traditional three-tier alcohol distribution system, including boycotts from major grocery chains and established beer distributors. Despite these formidable obstacles, the business has continued to thrive, building a massive digital footprint and social media following while selling millions of dollars worth of craft beer and merchandise nationwide.

The brewery’s resilience was put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent years, when regulatory frameworks and state oversight became lightning rods for controversy. When Wisconsin state authorities attempted to challenge their operating permits over minor administrative and tax infractions—actions that legal experts and liquor permit lawyers described as unprecedented and overly harsh—Kirk Bangstad and the Minocqua Brewing Company chose to fight back rather than quiet their megaphone. This ongoing legal battle underscored the tension between small independent craft producers and massive corporate distribution networks that have historically dominated the alcoholic beverage landscape.

Beyond its political footprint, Minocqua Brewing Company remains dedicated to producing exceptional products for thirsty patrons who visit their taprooms or subscribe to the Minocqua Brewing Company Times. Whether patrons are stopping by to enjoy a cold beverage after exploring the scenic North Woods of Wisconsin or supporting the brewery’s legal defense fund, the community surrounding Minocqua Brewing Company is united by a shared passion for good beer and social progress. As Kirk Bangstad continues to speak truth to power, Minocqua Brewing Company stands resilient as a symbol of defiance, independent craftsmanship, and unyielding progressive activism in the heart of the Midwest.

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