Insurance for breweries and taprooms.

Products liability, liquor liability, property, and equipment breakdown for breweries, brewpubs, and taprooms, from the brewhouse to the kegs and cans you distribute.

What breweries usually carry

General liability, $1M / $2M
Products and completed operations
Liquor liability
Property and brewing equipment
Equipment breakdown and spoilage
Product recall
Workers’ comp

Watch for these in a brewery policy

Beer in the tanksA batch lost when a glycol chiller fails is spoilage, and many property policies leave it out. Ask for spoilage tied to equipment breakdown and power failure.
Liquor exposure as a makerThe liquor exclusion reaches anyone in the business of making or selling alcohol. Your taproom needs liquor liability, and the beer you distribute can need it too.
Bottles and cans that burstOver-carbonation and glass defects cause cuts and eye injuries, and those claims come to the brewery as products claims, not to the store that sold the beer.
Beer names and labelsTrademark disputes over a beer’s name are common, and general liability excludes most trademark claims.
Tours of the brewhouseGuests on the production floor add slip and burn risk around hot tanks and hoses. Many carriers ask whether tours leave the taproom.

What distributors and landlords ask breweries for

Vendor endorsementDistributors and retailers ask to be named on your products coverage, often on CG 20 15.
Higher products limitsLarger distributors may ask for $2M to $5M, usually through an umbrella.
Additional insuredYour landlord, on both general liability and liquor liability.
Contract brewingBrands you brew for often ask you to cover their beer while it sits in your tanks.

Questions breweries ask

Straight answers.

The questions we hear most, answered plainly.

How is brewery insurance priced?

Mostly on how much you produce and sell, split between taproom pours and what you distribute. Equipment values, canning, and food service move it from there.

Does my liquor liability cover a beer festival?

Only if it extends off your premises. Many liquor policies cover the taproom address alone, so festival pours need to be added before the event.

Is a contaminated batch covered?

Injuries it causes are a products claim. Pulling it from shelves and replacing it is a recall cost that general liability excludes; recall coverage is separate.