Common Mistakes That Increase the Insurance Cost for a Brewery
- Feb 12
- 2 min read
Breweries face one of the most complex risk profiles in the food and beverage industry. Between brew house hazards, alcohol service, packaging lines, CO₂ exposure, slip‑and‑fall risks, and distribution fleet operations, insurers pay close attention to how breweries manage safety, documentation, and compliance.
Unfortunately, many breweries unknowingly make simple mistakes that raise the insurance cost for a brewery business, sometimes for multiple renewal cycles.
Below are the most common issues that inflate premiums and how to avoid them before requesting a brewery business insurance or beverage distribution business insurance quote.
1) Inadequate Taproom Training and Incident Documentation
Taprooms are high‑frequency claim zones. Mistakes include:
Poor ID‑checking procedures
Missing incident logs for slips, refusals of service, or altercations
Lack of spill‑response procedures
2) Outdated Equipment Maintenance Practices
Brew houses depend on:
Boilers & chillers
Glycol systems
Fermenters & brite tanks
Air compressors
Canning/bottling lines
Lack of preventive‑maintenance logs increases equipment breakdown claims, leading insurers to rate your brewery as a higher risk.
Maintain logged PM schedules for refrigeration, CO₂ systems, canning lines, and boiler inspections.
3) Under-insuring or Incorrectly Valuing Equipment & Buildings
Breweries often fail to update:
Replacement‑cost values for tanks and speciality equipment
Tenant improvements
Glycol/CO₂ systems
Walk‑ins, cold boxes, and pack lines
Under-insuring triggers coinsurance penalties; over-insuring inflates premiums. Annual valuations keep pricing accurate.
4) Weak CO₂, Chemical, and Hot‑Work Safety Controls
Common issues:
Missing CO₂ monitoring
Poor ventilation in fermentation areas
Improper chemical/CIP handling procedures
Lack of hot‑work permits for welding or cutting
These oversights concern underwriters and often raise property and liability pricing.
5) Fleet Risks for Breweries That Self‑Distribute
Self‑distribution increases exposure, yet breweries often lack:
Driver MVR standards
Telematics/dash‑cams
No‑phone while driving policy
Load securement SOPs
Delivery‑radius documentation
Improving fleet controls can dramatically lower Commercial Auto and Cargo premiums.
6) Poor Quality‑Control or Recall Preparedness
Batch tracking, lot coding, contamination prevention, and recall readiness all impact Product Liability. Missing or weak QC systems raise perceived risk.
Reduce Brewery Insurance Costs, Without Cutting Coverage
Not every insurer understands brew house hazards, taproom operations, equipment breakdown risk, or distribution exposure. Wexford Insurance partners with top‑rated carriers that specialise in brewery business insurance, helping you avoid these costly mistakes and secure competitive, contract‑ready coverage.
👉 Request your brewery business insurance quote from Wexford Insurance today and protect your tanks, taproom, and distribution operations.
