Kirk Bangstad owns a brewery; he additionally owns a Tremendous PAC. What number of brewery homeowners could make that assertion? Founding father of Minocqua Brewing Firm in Minocqua, WI, Bangstad desires change – social change, political change, and an finish to what he calls “The Trump world we’re residing in, the place the strains of what’s okay have been blurred and there’s a variety of ugliness going round.”
And within the two years Bangstad has been politicized, he has discovered to combat the Proper with the identical instruments they make use of. Therefore, the Tremendous PAC, which Bangstad began in January 2021 after being compelled to shut his brewpub. “I name it darkish cash for good,” says Bangstad, who up to now has raised almost half one million {dollars} to assist native progressive causes.
It has been a rollercoaster journey into politics for Bangstad. He has run for the Wisconsin State Meeting, sued the whole Wisconsin college board, used his Tremendous PAC to sue two Wisconsin congressmen and a state senator, and located himself sued by native paper the Lakewood Occasions.
He has attracted equal quantities of ire and admiration from proper and leftwing activists respectively across the U.S. and past, been featured in nationwide media, and needed to name the FBI after receiving a hate-speech-filled demise risk.
However alongside the best way he has additionally discovered he has a secret weapon. One thing he had been perfecting lengthy earlier than politics.
Bangstad has the facility of beer behind him.
In reality, it’s the enterprise of beer, rebuilding, rising, and ultimately closing Minocqua Brewing (and switching to contract brew), that sparked Bangstad’s transition from apolitical brewpub proprietor to a bastion of Northern Wisconsin’s social conscience.
Why Does a Brewery Proprietor Begin a Tremendous PAC?
It began with a world pandemic.
A key swing state that voted Trump in by simply 23,000 votes in 2016, Wisconsin flipped to assist safe a Biden victory with a margin of lower than 1% in 2020. Extremely polarized, Wisconsin represents a microcosm of America’s ongoing tradition wars. For instance through the international pandemic, on this Midwestern state the Republican state supreme courtroom efficiently sued to overturn Democrat Governor Tony Evers’ masks mandate, stay-home order, and capability restrictions, regardless of having one of many highest charges of COVID-19 an infection within the nation on the time.
In Minocqua, Bangstad closed indoor seating and enforced a masks mandate on the brewery. One of many solely restaurant homeowners to take action, Bangstad’s actions made him unpopular amongst Oneida County’s sixty p.c Republican demographic, and additional diminished his COVID-depleted gross sales.
Nonetheless, Bangstad pushed on, toughing it out together with his neighbors and holding his enterprise collectively by a thread. However when Mitch McConnell refused to place the $1.8 trillion stimulus bundle agreed between the Democrats and Donald Trump on the Senate flooring, Bangstad thought of that the ultimate straw.
“McConnell performed ball with Wisconsin hospitality and I needed to lay off my employees as a result of the cash didn’t come via – I used to be so mad on the Republicans” says Bangstad, who needed to shut his brewery and revert to contract brewing to maintain his enterprise alive. “I needed to do one thing, so I hung a customized made Biden-Harris signal on the most important constructing in Minocqua – which simply occurred to be my brewpub.”
Bangstad’s marketing campaign in opposition to dangerous authorities, COVID misinformation, right-wing aggression, and Trumpian violence had begun.
From Closing a Brewery to Brewing #progressivebeer
Shedding his brewpub might have pushed Bangstad out of the beer trade, however his newly politicized id coupled with a eager humorousness breathed new life into the Minocqua Brewing Firm.
As a substitute of dropping by the wayside, Bangstad turned to contract brewing.
And when Bangstad wanted to shortly promote his brewpub’s remaining inventory after closing the enterprise, he minimize and pasted a Biden brand onto the can with the slogan Biden Beer – Inoffensive and Not Bitter, including the caveat ‘finest consumed with temperature method down, not going to overstay its welcome in your fridge!’
“I put it out on Fb and folks went nuts!” says Bangstad, with prospects touring as much as 4 hours throughout state strains to purchase it. Bangstad’s #progressivebeer sequence was born. Hop Cultures was so impressed with it they named it considered one of “The ten Beers We’re Grateful for This Thanksgiving.”
The #progressivebeer line now options beers devoted to native and nationwide political figures together with Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Kamala Harris, and native politicians Tony Evers and Tammy Baldwin. Every beer has its personal pithy dedication. Plus, Bangstad has even created an accompanying vary of merch.
Moreover, Bangstad’s Selection Arduous Seltzer has taken on new significance within the face of the present reproductive rights disaster. Bangstad donates 5 p.c of income to Deliberate Parenthood, and has launched a merch line to generate further assist.
Bangstad has been capable of leverage the facility of beer to concurrently hold his brewery alive and push ahead his personal social agenda.
At current, he’s attempting to boost sufficient cash to purchase a brand new brewery. However the journey has been troublesome.
Taking a Political Stand Results in Enterprise Roadblocks
Savvy branding and progressive politics aren’t sufficient on their very own to maintain a brewery in enterprise, particularly one the place native hostility signifies that entry to a wider distribution market is crucial for survival.
Bangstad has needed to get inventive to maintain the brewery going and to maintain funding the Tremendous PAC. Utilizing the buying energy garnered via his 43,000-strong e mail e-newsletter listing and 58,000 Fb followers, Bangstad has efficiently secured distribution throughout Wisconsin and into Illinois, Minnesota, and Washington DC.
“I went on Fb and requested individuals if they’re in Minneapolis and Duluth and just like the trigger and the beer to inform us the place to promote it,” he says. Bangstad encourages followers to request his #progressivebeer from their native shops and can fortunately flip up at a really useful outlet armed together with his Fb web page open to indicate the shop supervisor the swathe of requests for his beer. Plus, as soon as the beer is on the cabinets, he’ll mobilize his supporters to make sure the beer sells out. After using this technique at shops together with Prime Ten Liquors, Minnesota distribution was a shoe-in. These efforts have enabled Bangstad to purchase a brand new taproom in downtown Minocqua which is able to open on Memorial Day weekend.
Bangstad sees robust hyperlinks between the political points he campaigns about and America’s restrictive alcohol distribution legal guidelines. “Distribution is a really tiny world and really Republican,” he says, “It’s very exhausting for somebody on the opposite facet of the political spectrum to promote their beer.” By successfully using guerilla advertising and marketing techniques to push again in opposition to these restrictions, Bangstad is urgent for a fairer, extra consultant and egalitarian system in the identical method that he’s doing in native politics.
How Far Can One Brewery Proprietor Push the System?
Bangstad’s most up-to-date efforts to carry Wisconsin politicians legally and morally accountable embody a lawsuit in opposition to Congressmen Tom Tiffany and Scott Fitzgerald and Senator Ron Johnson.
After following the circumstances of North Carolina congressman Madison Cawthorn and Georgia consultant Marjorie Taylor Greene, Bangstad launched a swimsuit in opposition to the three Wisconsinites based mostly on Part 3 of the 14th Modification, prohibiting the holding of federal workplace by anybody concerned in aiding and abetting an rebel.
Utilizing his Tremendous PAC cash to fund the swimsuit, Bangstad has now served all three after a The place’s Wally-esque state of affairs the place they successfully hid from Bangstad’s attorneys – all absolutely documented on Minocqua Brewing’s social media.
“Regular individuals care about this,” says Bangstad, “The common contribution to the PAC is simply $50. This can be a true grassroots motion made up of individuals on fastened incomes and social safety residing in cities of 5,000 individuals who assume everybody has forsaken them, even the Democrats.”
Bangstad believes that he’s been so profitable in elevating donations due to his willingness to step up and communicate out, and since as a brewery proprietor he’s exterior the deeply distrusted political sphere. “Individuals don’t belief politicians however will belief brewers – particularly in Wisconsin, the unique brewing state,” he explains. “Individuals will take heed to me as brewers haven’t any vested curiosity in politics – and everybody loves the man who brews their beer!”
Channeling this belief and respect into actual and significant change via the Tremendous PAC is Bangstad’s final objective. “How superb will probably be if we will take away a U.S. Senator,” he laughs, “Think about a brewery with the ability to do this!”
