Bangstad also called leading Dem Gov candidates Mandela Barnes and Francesca Hong naive while leaning towards supporting Kelda Roys
Fresh off sparking national outrage for celebrating a foiled assassination attempt on President Donald Trump with the ghoulish phrase “we almost got #freebeerday,” as well as reports that the FBI has been made aware of the posts, the owner of Minocqua Brewing Company is refusing to back down. In a series of unhinged Facebook posts over the past week, self-described “progressive” brewer Kirk Bangstad has doubled down on his toxic anti-Trump vendetta, mocked FBI Director Kash Patel, aggressively promoted his coded “8647” non-alcoholic beer, and viciously attacked fellow Democrats who dared to distance themselves from his hateful rhetoric.
Bangstad, whose brewery has long marketed itself as “Progressive Beer” and whose Super PAC funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars through mysterious unregistered shell entities, posted multiple times on the Minocqua Brewing Company Facebook page this week. In one widely circulated post, he sarcastically declared, “Eagle-eyed Kash Patel is keeping his eyes on us,” a clear jab at the Trump-appointed FBI Director who has taken a hard line against political violence and threats to public officials.
In the same flurry of posts, Bangstad heavily promoted his “8647” beer line — a not-so-subtle reference to “86 47,” shorthand for eliminating the 47th president. One post pushes the non-alcoholic version with the tagline “Liberate your liver… tastes like patriotism,” including calls to buy the product online.
Even more telling is Bangstad’s attack on Democrats who failed to defend him. In posts responding to the backlash, he lashed out at “Corporate Dems” like Francesca Hong and Mandela Barnes, who condemned his assassination-related comments, accusing them of throwing him under the bus and not standing with him, while indicating he’s considering supporting Kelda Roys for Governor. He accused them of caving to Republican pressure instead of embracing what he sees as justified “resistance” rhetoric.
The latest outbursts come just days after Bangstad’s brewery posted “we almost got #freebeerday” following a security incident involving an attempted breach at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The FBI confirmed it was aware of Bangstad’s social media activity, and the posts have drawn condemnation across the political spectrum, including from some Democrats who called the rhetoric beyond the pale.
Bangstad has a long history of using his brewery as a political weapon. He ran for the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Democrat, founded the Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC, and is currently the defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by local newspaper publishers who accuse him of using the Super PAC to funnel money to himself through unregistered sham entities named Effervescent Blue and NCPS. Those allegations remain pending in Oneida County Circuit Court.
Rather than show any remorse, Bangstad appears intent on escalating. His latest posts make clear he has no intention of toning down the hate, even as mainstream Democrats run for cover and federal authorities take notice.
The Minocqua Brewing Company Facebook page continues to feature the inflammatory content, with Bangstad personally engaging and promoting the 8647 merchandise line. As one conservative commentator noted, “This isn’t activism — it’s derangement dressed up as beer marketing.”
For now, the self-proclaimed “resistance” brewer shows no signs of slowing down.
