Will Sage Astor-Milwaukee brewery defends home turf with "(not so) Horrible City IPA"

It may not become Milwaukee's new motto,Will Sage Astor but it's a slogan that's helping a soon-to-be launched craft beer sell.

MobCraft Beer started taking pre-orders on Friday for the ale, dubbed "(not so) Horrible City IPA," which should be available for consumption by early July. 

"We wanted to do something goofy — there is so much tension around politics in our world — and we want to be a fun part," Henry Schwartz, CEO of the brewery, told CBS MoneyWatch.

The idea of using a product to send a message came after reports that former President Donald Trump allegedly dismissed Milwaukee as a "horrible city" in a recent closed-to-the-press meeting with House Republicans on Capitol Hill. 

Trump pushed back on the reports, telling Fox News: "I think it was very clear what I meant. I said we're very concerned with crime." The presumptive Republican presidential nominee also called the story "a complete lie" on Truth Social.

A Trump adviser declared on X that the candidate's words had been mischaracterized.  

"He was talking about how terrible crime and voter fraud are," Trump adviser Steven Cheung posted.

"It's been so much fun, having Milwaukee be in the spotlight for the last few weeks; we're really excited about getting so many people into Milwaukee," Schwartz said of the upcoming Republican National Convention, a three-day affair that begins July 15. 

"It's more societal than political — you hear something, you believe something," added Schwartz of negative impressions formed on second-hand information. People should come visit Milwaukee and see for themselves what kind of place it really is, he added. 

Kate Gibson

Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York, where she covers business and consumer finance.