After shots rang out at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, a Wisconsin brewery posted that the shooter needed to work on his marksmanship.
Now that brewery can't sell a single drop.
Wisconsin just pulled the operating permits for Minocqua Brewing Company – and owner Kirk Bangstad is begging his followers for cash.
The Man Who Celebrated a Bullet Missing Trump
In January, Bangstad's brewery posted on Facebook that it would give away free beer "all day long the day he dies" – and when someone asked if the timeline could be moved up, the company replied, "Well that's up to you and your ability to act like a cia agent."
Then came the April shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Bangstad's brewery posted this: "Well, we almost got #freebeerday. Either a brother or sister in the Resistance needs to work on their marksmanship or he faked another assassination to get a positive news cycle."
That's who Kirk Bangstad is.
He's not some random Twitter troll.
He attempted a run for Wisconsin governor – and was denied ballot access.
He ran a SuperPAC aimed at removing Republicans from office.
He celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk – before the man's body was cold – saying "may his soul never find peace."
He threatened to perform a citizen's arrest of Elon Musk.
He sued to keep Trump off Wisconsin's ballot in 2024.
And he sold beers called "Antifa Oktoberfist" and "Abolish ICE Grapefruit Gose" out of his taprooms in Madison and Minocqua.
Wisconsin Finds Something Interesting in the Cooler
The tax man didn't care about the marksmanship jokes.
State agents showed up to Bangstad's taprooms in June and seized roughly $25,000 worth of canned beer.
The problem: that beer had been brewed under contract in Illinois and brought into Wisconsin without the required permits or taxes paid.
Bangstad admits he owes the taxes.
His estimate of the unpaid amount: about $500.
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue's response: revoke all of it.
https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2081907597611761917?s=20
On July 26, Bangstad received a letter revoking the brewer's permits for both his Minocqua and Madison locations – plus the alcohol beverage warehouse permit for a third site – effective August 4.
The Department of Revenue put it plainly to Fox News: "The division is required to follow and implement state law, including ensuring permit holders and licensees follow all applicable laws and regulations. The division takes appropriate actions when these laws are not followed."
In other words: you break the law, you lose the license.
Bangstad immediately called it "an absurd act of heavy-handedness" and vowed to fight "tooth and nail."
He also – and this is the part that tells you everything – launched a legal defense fundraiser.
"Every time this happens, I rack up $100K in legal bills before we even see a judge," he wrote on Substack.
Thirsty progressives are apparently cheaper to serve than lawyers.
The Irony Is Almost Too Perfect
Kirk Bangstad spent years demanding higher taxes on businesses and the rich.
He built an entire brand around progressive politics – proudly calling his company the maker of "#progressivebeer."
He used the SPLC's hate list to target conservative school board candidates.
And he got caught not paying his own.
A man who built a business lecturing America about accountability got busted moving untaxed inventory across state lines and stashing it in an unlicensed warehouse.
His own liquor lawyer – a specialist whose firm trains the very Department of Revenue officers who enforce Wisconsin's alcohol laws – told Bangstad he had never seen the state come down this hard on a brewer.
Maybe that's because most brewers don't publicly cheer for an assassination attempt and then invite followers to "act like a CIA agent."
https://twitter.com/HeartlandPostWI/status/2081829532835663999?s=20
Wisconsin has a Democrat governor.
This wasn't a Trump agency making a political call.
The state's own enforcement arm looked at the violations and pulled the license anyway.
Bangstad has until August 4 to appeal, and he can keep selling beer while he fights it.
He's already warning supporters to expect $100,000 in legal bills before a hearing examiner ever weighs in.
The man who promised free beer the day Trump dies is now passing the hat to his fans just to stay open.
Sources:
- Rachel del Guidice, "Wisconsin brewery that offered 'free beer' when Trump dies says alcohol permit revoked," Fox News, July 28, 2026.
- Amy Curtis, "Guess What Happened to the WI Brewery That Vowed Free Beer If Trump Died," Townhall, July 28, 2026.
- "Wisconsin brewery that offered free beer if Trump dies faces permit revocation," The Washington Times, July 28, 2026.
- "State seeks to revoke brewers' permit for Minocqua Brewing Company," WXPR, July 28, 2026.
