The Madison location of Minocqua Brewing Company will likely close at the end of the year, owner Kirk Bangstad confirmed this week. The taproom’s lease is set to expire, and Bangstad said he is actively looking for someone who could take over and operate the space independently.
The closure follows the state of Wisconsin revoking Bangstad’s brewing license in July. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue also sent permit revocation notices to the company’s locations in both Minocqua and Madison, compounding the business’s troubles.
This is the same brewery that offered free beer if President Donald Trump had died.
Kirk Bangstad’s License Revocation and Political Setbacks
Bangstad, known as a left-leaning provocateur, has made national headlines before, including an offer of free beer at his taprooms on the day President Donald Trump died. He attempted to run for governor of Wisconsin earlier this year but failed to collect enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot. According to Minocqua Brewing Co. Madison closing, Bangstad also filed to terminate his Super PAC in June, as confirmed by Federal Election Commission records.
FEC filings show Bangstad spent all of the cash his PAC had on hand. Expenditures included advertising through Facebook and Google, as well as payments to a Milwaukee-based consulting group called NCPS. The address listed for NCPS in FEC filings traces back to a UPS store on Milwaukee’s lower east side.
PAC Spending Questions and Employee Concerns
The PAC’s finances drew scrutiny last year after former employees raised concerns about how the money was being used. Workers at the taprooms told News 3 Now that they had been receiving paychecks drawn from the PAC rather than from the business itself, raising questions about the blending of political and business funds.
With his brewing license revoked, his gubernatorial bid over, and his PAC dissolved, Bangstad now faces the likely end of his Madison presence. It remains unclear whether the Minocqua flagship location will continue operating under the circumstances surrounding the permit revocations.
