Normally, nobody should cheer when a Wisconsin business loses its stock. Jobs, rent, suppliers, and familiar faces that sit behind every taproom door.
But Minoqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad has spent years turning beer into a vessel for political contempt, and now the state says the rules caught up with him.
Officials seized canned beer from his business, alleging Illinois-brewed beer had been brought into Wisconsin without the required permits or licenses. Bangstad said the state took about $25,000 worth after he failed to pay Wisconsin taxes on beer sold and stored at his Minocqua and Madison, Wisc. locations, as the Wausau Pilot and Review reported.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Revenue confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Bangstad is under investigation. Without providing many details, the spokeswoman pointed out that state laws bars beer brewed in Illinois to be sold in Wisconsin without a permit or license.
“Selling alcohol in Wisconsin comes with a unique set of rules and standards designed to protect consumers, promote public health, and track alcohol beverages for tax and safety purposes,” the spokeswoman said in an email.
“These state laws ensure that no permit or license holder gains an unfair advantage by bypassing tax obligations or by evading safety protocols.”
Bangstad declined to comment to the Journal Sentinel, but in a newsletter to supporters on June 12 said state officials seized $25,000 worth of beer after he failed to pay taxes in Wisconsin on the Illinois-brewed beer he sold and stored in Madison and Minocqua.
Bangstad isn't just a brewery owner; he's a liberal activist who recently tried to run for Wisconsin governor. The Wisconsin Election Commission unanimously denied him ballot access after his campaign turned in 1,504 valid signatures, about 500 short of the 2,000 needed. From WPR:
The commission voted unanimously Tuesday to deny ballot access to the liberal firebrand and 67 other candidates for offices across Wisconsin. It comes after Elections Commission staff found that Bangstad only turned in 1,504 valid signatures, about 500 signatures short of the 2,000 required.
Earlier this month, the Elections Commission found that around 40 pages of signatures were invalid because they listed incorrect dates or were missing required address information.
According to a Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesperson, Bangstad was denied a spot on the ballot because his campaign did not file enough correcting affidavits to cure errors in his nomination papers.
No challenge was filed against his nomination filings, so the commission didn’t explicitly talk about issues with his papers on Tuesday. The vote denying Bangstad ballot access came as part of the commission’s vote to certify candidates for the primary and general election.
So within a single week, he learned two hard lessons: election rules count signatures, and alcohol rules count barrels.
His public record makes the whining harder to swallow, even with a worthy brew. Federal agents with the U.S. Secret Service and FBI interviewed Bangstad after a company Facebook post following an assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner said, “We almost got #freebeerday,” and suggested someone in the “Resistance” needs better marksmanship.
Bangstad's company had already drawn attention for promising free beer when Trump dies. When death talk becomes a sales gimmick, pleas for gentle treatment land with a thud.
Related: Wisconsin Brewery Laments Failed Assassination, Vows Free Beer When Trump Dies
Alcohol law can be tedious, but it's not hidden: the Wisconsin Department of Revenue keeps a Division of Alcohol Beverages for the industry. A state fact sheet says anyone who ships beer into Wisconsin must obtain an out-of-state shipper of beer permit, and shipments to unauthorized people are subject to confiscation.
Small businesses deal with rules like those every day. They complete forms, pay fees, file taxes, and hope one missed line doesn't sink a week's receipts.
Being a follower of Mordor, Bangstad's defense leans on grievance, saying the agency's lack of leniency “borders on malicious harassment” and suggesting Democratic Gov. Tony Evers might be punishing him for past criticism. The Wausau Pilot and Review shares Bangstad's beer-foaming lamentations.
“I’ve been very critical of Corporate Democrat Tony Evers over the last year for not being proactive in stopping Trump’s regime from abusing Wisconsinites, and based my candidacy for governor on forcing him to protect our upcoming elections from Trump’s slow-burning nationwide coup,” Bangstad wrote.
“Since my liquor lawyer has never seen this level of punishment being exacted on any of his other brewery clients before in his career, I can’t help but wonder if there’s someone directing these enforcement agents to come down on me extra hard as a way to “teach me a lesson.”
Evers' office answered that the governor expects cabinet agencies to enforce state law, and the department said it had been discussing compliance concerns with Minoqua Brewing and its legal counsel for months after a complaint last year. From the Pilot and Review:
A spokeswoman for Evers said the governor “expects his cabinet agencies to follow and enforce state laws, and he expects the Department of Revenue to continue doing the job they’re supposed to do.”
“The Wisconsin Department of Revenue is responsible for ensuring permit and license holders comply with Wisconsin’s state laws and regulations, regardless of who the actor is, where they are located, their background, or their political beliefs,” she said.
The DOR spokeswoman said department officials conducted an inspection of Bangstad’s taprooms on June 11 “pursuant to an application before the division.”
“Based on a complaint the division received last year, the department has been discussing concerns with the Minocqua Brewing Company and its legal counsel for several months toward reaching a path toward compliance,” she said.
“The Division of Alcohol Beverages is dedicated to the fair and consistent enforcement of alcohol beverages regulations in Wisconsin. The division is required to follow and implement state law, including ensuring permit holders and licensees follow all applicable laws and regulations.”
The timeline undercuts the ambush story.
Bangstad has every right to challenge the seizure in court, and he says his lawyer plans to seek emergency relief. Courts decide whether the state goes too far, but a man who built a brand around political sneering shouldn't be shocked when ordinary Wisconsinites notice the double standard.
The rules-for-me-and-rules-for-thee routine gets old fast, like stale beer, especially when it comes from people who lecture everyone else about accountability.
Wisconsin has plenty of breweries, taverns, and supper clubs that do the paperwork, pay the taxes, and keep the doors open without turning presidential death wishes into promotional copy. They don't get a special exemption because they're loud, angry, or politically useful.
Bangstad wanted to be a symbol of resistance. Instead, he became a lesson in consequences. The beer is gone for now, the excuses are flat, and the law has its very own tap.
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