Minocqua Brewing Company has taken the Wisconsin Department of Revenue to court after state agents seized roughly 1,200 cans of the brewery’s canned beer, according to the company. Owner Kirk Bangstad pegs the loss at about $25,000 and says the state moved in over what he describes as roughly $500 in unpaid excise taxes tied to beer brewed out of state. The complaint, filed in Dane County, asks a judge to order the inventory returned and argues the department singled out the brewery for working with an Illinois contract brewer.
What the lawsuit says
In its filing, Minocqua Brewing Company argues the DOR unfairly targeted the business and that other beers made by out-of-state contract brewers are not being treated the same way, according to the company’s account. Bangstad also says he tried to pay the relatively small excise tax bill before agents took the beer, but that the payment was not accepted. That description of the complaint and Bangstad’s account of his interactions with the agency were reported by Wisconsin Public Radio.
State says the raid followed an inspection
A spokeswoman for the Department of Revenue told reporters the agency conducted an inspection “pursuant to an application before the division” and said state law limits how beer brewed outside Wisconsin can be sold or transferred. Journalistic accounts report that agents visited the Minocqua and Madison taprooms last week and loaded cases of beer into state vehicles. Those details were reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and republished by local outlets, while Wausau Pilot & Review noted that the department confirmed the probe to reporters.
Bangstad’s response and background
Bangstad has pushed back publicly on the seizure in social media posts and on his brewery’s own channels. He says he tried to come into compliance and that agents would not accept payment, and he is now selling shirts poking fun at the episode on his website. Minocqua Brewing Company lists both its Minocqua and Madison taprooms, where the seized inventory had been kept. Reporting by WPR also notes Bangstad’s recent run-ins with authorities and previous federal questioning over his controversial social media posts.
How Wisconsin’s alcohol rules work
Wisconsin’s Alcohol Beverage Division requires retailers and licensees to buy alcohol from permitted wholesalers and to keep proper invoices. The Department of Revenue’s own guidance warns that agents can and will confiscate alcohol if a licensee cannot produce the required documentation that shows the inventory was purchased legally. That guidance lays out recordkeeping and purchase rules and explains that inventory bought outside those rules may be seized. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue spells out those responsibilities for licensees.
What comes next
Bangstad’s attorney has said the company will press its case in Dane County Circuit Court and will seek an emergency injunction aimed at getting at least some of the seized beer returned while the dispute plays out. Local outlets that have reviewed the complaint report that the suit is now pending in Dane County. The DOR has declined to provide additional details, citing the still-active investigation. Urban Milwaukee republished the Wisconsin Public Radio story in full and included the court filings.
