Kirk Bangstad, the progressive owner of Minocqua Brewing Co. in Wisconsin, built his brand around hating Donald Trump. He ran political ads, turned his taproom into a left-wing clubhouse, and at one point offered free beer to celebrate if the President was successfully assassinated. Now the Wisconsin Department of Revenue has revoked his alcohol permit.
Bangstad has spent years positioning himself as the craft-beer resistance — a small-town brewer who made opposing Trump his entire personality and business model. His brewery didn't just serve IPAs; it served as a PAC headquarters, fundraising hub, and megaphone for every progressive cause that wandered through northern Wisconsin. The "free beer when Trump dies" stunt was the one that stuck, because it crossed the line from political theater into something most people recognize as genuinely unhinged.
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue doesn't typically make headlines. It's the kind of agency that processes paperwork and audits tax returns. But when you turn your licensed establishment into a platform for publicly fantasizing about a sitting president's death, eventually the paperwork catches up. The licensure revocation covers both of his Minocqua Brewing locations — not just a slap on the wrist, but a full shutdown of his ability to operate as a brewery.
Bangstad says he'll fight it "tooth and nail." He told supporters they'll "have to pry me out of my taprooms" before he gives up. Which is a bold statement from a man who currently lacks the legal authority to pour a Bud Light, let alone his own product.
The irony is structurally perfect. The man who told his progressive "brothers and sisters" to aim better next time after the failed assassination attempt on President Trump at the White House Correspondent's dinner so that he could give everyone that free beer he promised them can no longer legally sell beer. The business he weaponized against Trump has been disarmed by a state revenue department.
Bangstad will probably launch a GoFundMe. He'll frame this as political persecution. He'll get sympathetic write-ups in progressive outlets that describe him as a small-business owner targeted for his beliefs. What he won't get is his permit back by arguing that wanting the President dead is a protected business practice.