Kirk Bangstad used to run a brewpub in the small community of Minocqua, Wisconsin, but then the pandemic forced him to shut his doors and shift to selling beers in 2020. His decision to cease indoor dining came from a desire to protect his employees and patrons from COVID but was met with politically motivated derision in his mostly Republican-leaning region and caused the progressive-minded pub owner to speak up and brew with a political mission.

The economic and health consequences of calling COVID a hoax motivated Bagstad to use his business to counteract the political forces that oppose public health strategies such as mask mandates in schools. The Minocqua Brewing Company SuperPAC (Political Action Committee) uses “dark money” political finance laws to support campaigns against politicians and groups Bagstad feels help perpetuate the same misinformation and hate that fueled the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and are downplaying the seriousness of the COVID pandemic.