It could be the last call for a Wisconsin brewery that offered beer on the house if President Donald J. Trump dies, an ill-advised pledge that had unexpected consequences.
Minocqua Brewing Company’s left-wing activist owner Kirk Bangstad delivered the sad news that the Madison taproom could close its doors at the end of the year after Wisconsin state officials revoked its permit to serve alcohol in July.
The Wisconsin brewery that offered “free beer” when President Trump dies has now had its alcohol permit revoked.
Wisconsin officials say Minocqua Brewing Company’s permits were revoked over alleged alcohol transport and tax violations involving beer brought in from Illinois.… pic.twitter.com/BpIqsD40kV
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 29, 2026
Madison-based outlet Channel 3000 reported that the “left-leaning provocateur” will likely shut down as it battles the state over its decision.
According to the outlet, “The taproom in Madison will see its lease expire at the end of the year, and Bangstad said he is looking to find someone who can operate the space independently.”
The Trump-hating owner and his doomed drinking establishment flirted with infamy over the Minocqua Brewing Company’s January 22 post to Facebook offering the free suds on the day that the president passes, speculating that it could be by summertime.
(Image: Facebook)
“Free beer, all day long , the day he dies,” the post read. “Show us this post when it happens in a few months and we’ll make good on that promise.”
But Trump was still alive and kicking come July, which wasn’t happy hour for Bangstad when the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) revoked the permit to operate in Wisconsin, “alleging violations involving beer transported from Illinois without the required permits and tax payments,” according to Fox News.
In a Thursday statement, the DOR told Fox News Digital that a hearing on the company’s appeal is set for November 18 and that the revocation doesn’t go into effect until after the appeals have been completed, stating that the “DOR is dedicated to fair and consistent enforcement of alcohol beverage regulations in Wisconsin and takes action when the laws are not followed, as occurred here.”
A fanatical leftist whose attempt to mount a gubernatorial run failed when he didn’t get enough signatures to qualify for ballot access, Bangstad’s brewery expressed disappointment when Trump wasn’t taken out by a would-be assassin at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in April.
“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,” it said in another Facebook post. “We’ll never know. Regardless, we stand at the ready to pour free beer the day it happens.”
(Image: Facebook)
The establishment also offered up half-priced suds if former Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell croaked.
“Well, folks, if our logic is right, we’re supposed to get the news today that ‘Rigor Tortoise’ kicked the bucket about two months ago,” it said in an August 3 post to Instagram that mocked the then-missing Bluegrass State Republican as the “ghost from Kentucky”
A frail and depleted McConnell finally returned to the Senate earlier this month, ending months of speculation that he was either dead or in a vegetative state after being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance in June and remaining incommunicado for nearly three months.
Bangstad had vowed to fight the state “tooth and nail” to keep his establishment open, but now it looks like he’s poised to give up the ghost.
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