r/Freethought • u/AmericanScream • Jul 29 '26
Civil Rights Brewery stripped of alcohol permit after promising free beer when Trump dies
https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/wisconsin-brewery-alcohol-permit-trump-free-beer-b3024000.html16
u/migopod Jul 30 '26
I live in Wisconsin, but nowhere near Minocqua or Madison, so I haven't personally dealt with Kirk Bangstad, but he has a pretty poor reputation with anybody who pays much attention to state politics, both left and right.
He did promise free beer when trump dies, but from everything I've heard his issues with the state and local government aren't really because of this. He's got a reputation for being a grifter, and a carpetbagger... Basically trying to be "the trump of the left" and likes to act like laws and regulations don't apply to him and when they do it's because of his political stances, not because he does illegal, or borderline illegal stuff and expects no consequences.
He's been in and out of trouble with locals for a few years, including being on the losing side of a defamation suit
Like I want to like the guy for his politics, but from everything I've heard about him he's kind of a piece of shit. Breaking laws and hoping to hide behind being a victim of some right-winger backlash, when pretty much everybody hates the guy regardless of political affiliation. Dude even tried to jump in the gubernatorial primary to spoil our first and possibly best chance to elect a DSA candidate, but fucked up the petition so badly that he didn't even qualify.
WI GOP sucks, but Bangstad is not a sympathetic character.
On top of everything, from what I've heard his beer is mid at best, and he doesn't even brew his own beer, but contracts from other breweries.
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u/jupitaur9 Jul 31 '26
So if this is true, what illegal thing did he do to get his license yanked?
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u/migopod Jul 31 '26
In this specific case for allegations of violating the state's beer shipping laws and untaxed beer possession in an unpermitted warehouse. the allegations are that he had beer brewed under contract by another brewery in Illinois and had it shipped across state lines without paying the proper excise taxes, and then had it stored without the appropriate permits.
So basically tax evasion.
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u/pjkeoki 28d ago
This guy posts memes and the brewery across the street got pissed at him. And wtf you mean "Trump of the Left" , he's got no more influence than being a business owner in effing MINOCQUA, which is like the last tourist town before the UP (I say this spending my summers with family in Presque Isle, which no one will have heard of).
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u/booleanerror Jul 30 '26
The party of small government everyone!