Mislabeled beer nets $172 ticket

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis., May 25 (UPI) -- Police in Port Washington, Wis., issued a $172 citation to a bar after inspectors found a half-barrel of Coors Light connected to a Miller Lite handle.

Ray Wendt, who owns the American Legion bar, said the Coors Light was leftover from a wedding party and his customers had been made aware of what beer they were receiving, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Friday.

"It's not like I was pouring different liquor into a bottle," Wendt said. "The Coors and the Miller Lite cost the same."

He said the Coors had been hooked up to the Miller handle for the wedding reception because the handle sent by his distributor was too small for his tap. It had been left in place so he could sell off the remaining Coors Light.

"I said it was Coors Light, not Miller. I didn't lie to nobody," Wendt told the newspaper.

Port Washington Police Chief Richard Thomas said his department found that Wendt operates "a very well-run, well-managed business."

However, he said, "the statute is pretty clear. You can't do this."

Wendt said he plans to fight the ticket in court, the Journal-Sentinel said.