Minocqua Brewing Update

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Minocqua Brewing Company, which was ordered to cease operations by an Oneida County committee last week because of zoning violations, will be allowed to remain open—for now, at least. The business was granted a six-month extension of its operating permit this week by the same committee which had voted to shut it down. 

Following several years of acrimonious and very public battles with local governments, the zoning committee voted to revoke an Administrative Review Permit for MBC, citing its repeated violations of parking space regulations and rules which prohibit it from serving beer for consumption outside its historic building. Minocqua Brewing Company owner Kirk Bangstad has long accused county officials of selectively enforcing restrictions against his brewpub because of his outspoken support of progressive political causes and candidates. He points to dozens of similar businesses in the county which he says have been granted exemptions or whose violations have gone ignored. Bangstad calls the enforcements against him “retaliation” by a cadre of conservative “good old boys” in local government. 

After the hearing and vote to shut down MBC last week, Bangstad vowed to remain open “until someone puts a padlock on my business.” He also said he will sue the county in federal court. But it appears county officials now prefer to find a more amicable solution and the committee voted Wednesday to extend the company’s operating permit for 180 days. It says that will allow MBC to “revise” its application for a conditional use permit (CUP) and address issues regarding parking and a proposed beer garden for outdoor consumption on a small parcel of adjacent land. 

Contentious Hearings

The initial vote to sanction the business came after two contentious hearings. The first was abruptly adjourned by the committee after it said Bangstad refused to abide by hearing rules and strayed far from the specific agenda issue as he addressed them during a public comment period. Bangstad refused to stop talking, citing his right to defend himself and his business from what he considers a politically motivated vendetta. He accuses conservative committee members of targeting him because MBC brands its products with liberal themes and because he operates a Super PAC which has funded billboards and other ads attacking Republican candidates. Some of the funding for the Super PAC comes from the donation of a portion of profits from the sale of beer and other products at MBC. 

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After the revocation came at a second hearing held on August 2, Bangstad tried and failed to get a restraining order against the county from the court. The company also filed an appeal of the order to shut down. The committee took up the appeal Wednesday, voting affirmatively to withdraw the motion to deny the company’s CUP application and allow for the extra time. In a video posted to the MBC Facebook page, Bangstad said he is willing to find a way to provide the required number of parking spaces at the business if it means he it is allowed to operate a beer garden in which customers can enjoy MBC products. 

The controversy over the county’s attempts to close the brewpub has attracted national attention, largely because of Bangstad’s contention that it’s a case of partisan persecution for his liberal political activities in a mostly conservative area of the state. Social media posts by the company often result in hundreds of comments, most of which express support for it. 

One example of intense public interest in the company’s fight with the county and other local opposition, including the conservative Lakeland Timesnewspaper in Minocqua, came last month when MBC was ordered to cover its dumpster with an enclosure. The company posted photos of other area bars and restaurants which have uncovered dumpsters, but which hadn’t faced the same enforcement action by the local government. As a result of the posting, volunteers showed up to help hastily construct an enclosure at MBC. When winds threatened to blow it over, a Stevens Point contractor, Brian Diamond, volunteered to drive 100 miles to improve its stability. An artist from the Fox Valley, Season Polsin, also volunteered to paint the enclosure, traveling two and a half hours north adorn it with rainbows, a unicorn, butterflies and the word “Freedomster.”

In a statement to a Wausau television station after Wednesday’s meeting, Bangstad expressed his willingness to find a compromise, but he continued to frame the issue as one in which short-sighted local conservatives are hurting the local economy by making life and business difficult for those of differing political persuasions who dare to speak out publicly. 

“We continue to call on the town and the county to end Minoqua’s war on beer,” Bangstad said. “Downtown Minocqua is dying but the Minocqua Brewing Company is thriving. We believe we can be a key part of the renaissance of Minocqua, but we are just asking for a fair shake with the town and county.”

Correction:

In an earlier article on the Minocqua controversy, it was incorrectly stated that a vacant lot adjacent to Minocqua Brewery is city owned. The lot is owned by the brewery.