Stainless fermentation tanks inside an Australian craft brewery

Brewery Insurance

Cover for the brewhouse, the beer in tank and package, the taproom pouring it, and the income that stops if production does. Built by a broker around how your brewery actually operates.

PL + Property

Core Package

Breakdown

Paired With Spoilage

Liquor

Taproom Liability

Recognition

THE SHORT ANSWER

Brewery insurance packages property cover for the brewhouse, tanks and stock with machinery breakdown and spoilage protection, public and product liability for the taproom and the beer you sell, and business interruption if production stops after insured damage.

The brewery-specific traps are stock in tank that's only protected if spoilage cover is added, refrigeration failure sitting under machinery breakdown rather than fire cover, and taproom liquor liability that has to be specifically addressed. A standard business pack won't tick those boxes by default.

Craft breweries of every size: taproom-first microbreweries, production breweries packaging for wholesale, contract brewers, and brewpubs where the venue and the brewhouse share a roof.

Whatever the setup, the same questions decide the cover: what the tanks and packaging lines cost to replace, how much beer sits in tank and package at any moment, and who's drinking in the taproom.

If the venue side is the bigger part of your business, our cellar door insurance page covers the tasting-and-events angle in depth. For the broader package around it, start with our business insurance brokers page.

Cellar Door Insurance Distillery Insurance Winery Insurance Public Liability

CORE COVER MIX

Cover built around a working brewery

A brewery programme is assembled from the sections below, sized to your kit, your stock and your taproom. All cover is subject to policy terms, limits and exclusions.

Row of stainless beer kegs for brewery stock and equipment insurance

Property

Brewhouse equipment, fermenters, brite tanks and packaging lines against fire, storm and other insured damage.

Stock

Beer in tank, keg, can and bottle, plus malt, hops and yeast on site, with spoilage cover specifically added for temperature-control failure.

Machinery Breakdown

Glycol chillers, refrigeration, boilers and pumps. Its own section, paired with spoilage so a failed chiller doesn't leave the beer uninsured.

Public & Product Liability

Taproom visitors, tours and events, plus the beer you package and sell, with liquor liability specifically addressed.

Property

Brewhouse equipment, fermenters, brite tanks and packaging lines against fire, storm and other insured damage.

Stock

Beer in tank, keg, can and bottle, plus malt, hops and yeast on site, with spoilage cover specifically added for temperature-control failure.

Machinery Breakdown

Glycol chillers, refrigeration, boilers and pumps. Its own section, paired with spoilage so a failed chiller doesn't leave the beer uninsured.

Public & Product Liability

Taproom visitors, tours and events, plus the beer you package and sell, with liquor liability specifically addressed.

POLICY SCOPE

What Brewery Insurance Covers

The sections a brewery programme is built from, and where the gaps tend to hide unless they're specifically arranged.

Brewhouse pipework and fittings for brewery equipment insurance

Usually Covered

✓ Brewhouse equipment, fermenters, brite tanks and packaging lines against fire, storm and other insured damage

✓ Stock in tank, keg, can and bottle, plus malt, hops and yeast on site

✓ Machinery breakdown for glycol chillers, refrigeration, boilers and pumps

✓ Public liability for taproom visitors, tours and events

✓ Product liability for the beer you package and sell

✓ Business interruption while the brewery can't produce after insured damage

Not Typically Covered

✕ Spoilage from refrigeration or temperature-control failure unless specifically added; it isn't automatic under fire cover

✕ A failed chiller's lost beer unless breakdown and spoilage sections are both in place; they do separate jobs

✕ Liquor liability unless specifically addressed and lined up with your licence conditions and RSA practices

✕ Voluntarily recalling a batch; that generally needs separate product recall cover, not product liability

✕ Freight and installation where sums insured only cover base replacement, especially imported tanks and canning lines

✕ Income beyond the indemnity period; replacing tanks and packaging equipment can run to many months

This is a general guide only. What is and isn't covered depends on the terms, conditions, limits and exclusions of your specific policy.

WHY BREWERIES ARE DIFFERENT

The Exposures That Set a Brewery Apart

Three things separate a brewery from a generic business package, and each one shapes how the programme is structured.

Beer that lives on refrigeration. If the glycol system or cold room fails, the stock in tank can be lost without a single flame. That's a breakdown-plus-spoilage event, and both sections have to be in place for the claim to work.

Packaged product in the market. Once beer leaves in cans and kegs, product liability carries the injury risk and recall cover carries the cost of pulling a batch back. They're separate covers doing separate jobs.

A taproom on a production site. Serving the public alongside working equipment needs public liability with liquor liability specifically addressed, matched to your licence and trading hours.

WHAT WE SEE IN PRACTICE

When production is outsourced but the exposure isn't

One recent enquiry illustrated why contract-brewed brands sit outside the standard boxes. An alcohol brand had outsourced all of its manufacturing and bottling to two Sydney contract breweries. It supplied the recipes, sold online and through wholesale, and poured 30ml tasting samples at promotional events, with no full venue service of its own.

Eight markets declined the risk, and three online portals had no occupation category that could describe the business at all. One market produced the only indicative option, at approximately $2,300 a year. The enquiry did not proceed to a Tank policy.

The lesson holds for any contract-brewed brand: outsourcing production does not remove the product liability or alcohol-service exposure that comes with your name on the can. Underwriters still need the contract-manufacturing arrangement, who owns the recipes, the sales channels and the tasting model before they'll consider terms, and that's information a broker submission can carry where an online form generally can't.

BREWERY FAQS

Common Questions About Brewery Insurance

01 What insurance does a craft brewery need in Australia?

A brewery typically needs property cover for the brewhouse and tanks, stock cover for beer in tank and package, machinery breakdown for refrigeration and glycol systems, public and product liability for the taproom and the beer you sell, and business interruption for the period the brewery can't produce after insured damage. If you package under contract for other brands, or gypsy-brew on someone else's kit, tell your broker, because that changes how the risk is structured.

02 Does brewery insurance cover contaminated batches?

It depends on the cause and how the policy is built. Damage to stock from an insured event like fire can be covered, and spoilage cover can respond where refrigeration or temperature control fails and the beer in tank is lost. Contamination from a process error or wild yeast infection is a different question and often isn't covered under standard sections. Walk through the scenarios with your broker so you know exactly where the line sits before you need to test it.

03 Is the beer in my fermenters covered if the glycol system fails?

Only if the policy is set up for it. A refrigeration or glycol failure that spoils a tank of beer is a breakdown-plus-spoilage event: machinery breakdown covers the failed plant, and spoilage of stock cover responds to the lost beer. Neither is automatically included in a basic business package, so if beer in tank is a meaningful chunk of your working capital, make sure both sections are in place, subject to the policy terms, limits and exclusions.

04 Do I need liquor liability for my taproom?

If you're serving beer to the public, liquor liability should be specifically addressed under your public liability cover. It responds to claims arising from the service of alcohol, which standard liability wordings can exclude or restrict. Underwriters will want to know your licence type, trading hours and RSA practices, so have those ready when you quote.

05 What happens if I have to recall a batch of packaged beer?

Product liability responds to claims for injury or property damage caused by beer you've sold, but it doesn't pay the cost of pulling stock back from distributors and retailers. That's product recall cover, a separate policy that can pick up recall logistics, destruction and related costs. If your packaged beer moves through wholesalers or supermarkets, recall exposure is worth pricing rather than assuming.

06 Does business interruption cover a brewery while equipment is replaced?

Business interruption can cover the income you lose while the brewery can't operate after insured damage. The detail that matters is the indemnity period: fermenters, brite tanks and canning lines are often built to order overseas, and replacement can take well beyond 12 months once shipping and commissioning are counted. Set the period against real lead times for your kit, not a default.

07 Do I need insurance if my beer is contract-brewed by someone else?

Yes. If your brand is on the product, you carry product liability exposure even when another brewery makes and packages it. Underwriters want the contract-manufacturing arrangement, who owns the recipes, the sales channels and how tastings run before they'll consider the risk. In one enquiry we handled for a contract-brewed brand, eight markets declined and three online portals had no occupation category that could describe the business at all. That's why a contract-brewed brand is generally a broker placement rather than an online-form purchase: the arrangement has to be explained to an underwriter, not picked from a dropdown.