No Spotted Cow For You: Minnesota Bar Busted For Selling New Glarus Beer

By Lisa White in Food on Apr 21, 2015 9:20PM

If you're a fan of the fine brews made by New Glarus Brewing Co. in Wisconsin, you've likely cursed a handful of times at the fact you have to cross state lines to enjoy their frosty beverages. New Glarus is not licensed for sale outside Wisconsin, so a trip up north usually means we're grabbing Spotted Cow, Serendipity and some cheese on the side as we head back home. A Minnesota bar tried to pull a fast one but were caught recently when an investigator ordered a Spotted Cow at the Maple Tavern in Maple Grove, a Twin Cities suburb, was served up some delicious and authentic New Glarus beer and were promptly busted.

A search warrant states that an employee of the Maple Tavern made beer runs to a liquor store in Hudson, Wisconsin to purchase kegs of Spotted Cow. The Tribune reports that Brandon Hlavka, a manager at the tavern stated that it was a mistake to bring the beer to Maple Tavern, but the bar did so with the "best of intentions."

This isn't the first time the Wisconsin brew with a cult following has been caught being sold over state lines. In 2009, a New York City bar was caught selling Spotted Cow as well, which is New Glarus Brewing's most popular beer. At that time, brewmaster Dan Carey told the Wisconsin State Journal that he'd heard of his beer being sold outside Wisconsin and that he is often asked if he'd ever sell his beer outside of the state. Unfortunately for us not residing in Cheesehead land, Carey told them he has no plans for expansion. The New Glarus website even apologizes for the limited distribution, stating "There are only so many hours in the day to make beer and we can only keep up with the local demand."

Fair enough, Dan, we'll keep driving across the border as long as you keep cranking out those fruity sour ales. But only for private consumption.