New Glarus Brewing produces some of the most sought-after beer in Wisconsin’s neighboring Midwest states like Minnesota and Illinois, but it’s only available in Wisconsin.
The craving for New Glarus’ Spotted Cow flagship beer drove one Minnesota bar manager to cross state lines and bring six kegs to his establishment to serve. Patrons were happy, the state of Minnesota wasn’t.
New Glarus beer is only licensed for sale in Wisconsin due to limited supply.
Police received an anonymous tip and visited the bar themselves undercover. When they asked the bartender at the Maple Tavern in Maple Grove for a Spotted Cow, they were served a draft.
From KMSP:
Investigators also saw images of a Spotted Cow tap handle on Maple Tavern’s Facebook page, and advertising indicating that the beer was available.
Since New Glarus Brewing Company is not a licensed manufacturer of alcohol in Minnesota, there are no licensed Minnesota distributors who are authorized to legally distribute the beer to retail establishments.
“Sorry about the limited distribution, non-Wisconsinites, there are only so many hours in the day to make beer and we can only keep up with the local demand,” New Glarus apologizes on its website.
