NEW GLARUS, Wis. -- A bar in New York City is under investigation for allegedly selling a Wisconsin beer, and the local brewery said it isn't sure how its product ended up there.

New Glarus Brewery has been hearing for a while that someone is selling its beer in New York City, but it was never sure who it was because it's not licensed to sell to anyone there.

Then the brewery received a phone call last week.

"We assume that somebody from the New York Liquor Control called us and asked us specifically if we sold beer in the state of New York, and we told them, 'No,'" said Dan Carey, brew master at New Glarus Brewery.

The New York Liquor Authority confirmed that the Mad River Grille, a sports bar in Manhattan that throws Badger-themed parties on Wisconsin game days, is under investigation on suspicion of selling bottles of New Glarus' popular "Spotted Cow" beer.

Authorities said 50 cases of the beer were found during a raid there on Nov. 6.

New Glarus said it didn't sell the beer. It's only licensed to sell in Wisconsin, and distribution rules are very strict because of liquor taxes.

But the brewery said it's excited to see a demand for Spotted Cow beer.

"I'm just extremely flattered that people in New York would want our beer. It's kind of cool for a little brewery, and I feel really bad for the ex-pats living in New York that can't get their Spotted Cow fix," said Carey.

Carey said despite knowing that others are interested in the beer, the brewery intends to continue selling only in Wisconsin so it can concentrate on quality not quantity.

The New York bar is popular with many alumni, and the Wisconsin Alumni Association is holding an event there next month, WISC-TV reported.

Mad River Grille could face charges of purchasing from an unauthorized source and selling unlicensed beer. The bar's owner did not return calls seeking comment Friday.