# Insurance for breweries, distilleries and drinks makers in Germany

> One cracked tank, and 20,000 litres of beer run down the drain. One bursting bottle, and a customer nearly loses an eye. In breweries, distilleries and cider presses the risk lies in pressure, glass and liquid. Here is how to cover it in Germany and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-brewery.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Is the beer covered if a fermentation tank cracks?

Usually not under standard contents insurance, because burst pipe cover means water from pipes, not beer from a tank. You need an extension for liquids escaping from tanks and vessels, often called tank rupture (Tankbruch). The tank itself is covered by machinery insurance, depending on the cause. The two can be combined.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance; distilleries are supervised by German customs, but that brings no duty to insure
- **Biggest risk:** Leaking tanks and casks, plus broken glass and foreign bodies in the bottle
- **Basic cover from:** around €300 a year for the general liability of a small craft brewery without a taproom
- **Berufsgenossenschaft:** BG Nahrungsmittel und Gastgewerbe (BGN), the statutory accident insurer for food and hospitality, compulsory once you have staff
- **Often forgotten:** Tank rupture and leakage: beer or wine in a tank is not covered under burst pipe (Leitungswasser) cover
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 11.01 Herstellung von Spirituosen, 11.03 Herstellung von Apfelwein und sonstigen gegorenen Getränken aus Obst, 11.04 Herstellung von Wermutwein und sonstigen aromatisierten Weinen, 11.05 Herstellung von Bier, 11.06 Herstellung von Malz, 11.07 Herstellung von Erfrischungsgetränken und Mineralwässern

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **A tank or cask leaks:** A valve stays open, a weld cracks, a hose comes loose. The contents of a large tank are often worth tens of thousands of euros.
- **Bottles under pressure:** Secondary fermentation in the bottle makes glass burst. Shards injure customers, retailers and staff.
- **Foreign bodies and contamination:** Broken glass in the filling line, cleaning agent residues or germs lead to complaints and often to a recall from shops.
- **Carbon dioxide in the cellar:** Fermentation produces CO2, which collects in cellars. Without a warning system it is life threatening.
- **Fire in the distillery:** Alcohol vapour and open flames at the still: distilleries carry a particular risk of fire and explosion.
- **The bottling line stops:** If the filling line fails in the middle of the season, there are no goods for festivals, drinks stores and restaurants.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 4, Fire and water 4, Theft 2, Cyber 2, Downtime 4, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): With product liability for bursting bottles, foreign bodies and contamination, plus environmental blocks for tanks and cleaning agents. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Essential): Replaces brewhouse, still, empties and stock after fire and burglary, with an extension for liquids escaping from tanks. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): Pays for damage to brewhouse, cooling, still and filling line caused by operator error, overpressure or material defects. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Secures income when, after a loss in peak season, you cannot brew or bottle. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Cargo insurance** (Depends on the business): For goods on the way to drinks stores, restaurants and festivals, including breakage during loading. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cargo-insurance.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Depends on the business): If you deliver with your own lorries and vans and collect the empties. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Adds to the statutory accident insurer for staff who lift heavy loads and work with pressure vessels in the cellar. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend on output, turnover, tank volume and whether you serve drinks yourself. A brewery with its own brewpub also needs the building blocks of a restaurant.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Small craft brewery or fruit distillery without a bar, up to €300,000 turnover | around €250 to €700 a year |
| Business liability | Brewery with 20 staff, supplying shops and restaurants | around €1,800 to €5,000 a year |
| Business contents | Plant and stock worth €800,000, including tank rupture | around €1,500 to €3,500 a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Brewhouse, cooling and filling line with a new value of €600,000 | around €1,500 to €4,000 a year |
| Business interruption | Business interruption for twelve months added to contents insurance | around €400 to €1,500 a year |

For comparison: Liability and contents insurance for a small brewery cost about as much a year as ten 50 litre kegs of beer sold to the trade.

_Guide figures excluding German insurance tax, as of September 2026. Hardly any tariff examples are published for breweries and distilleries; the ranges are based on comparable businesses and our own quoting. We obtain the exact quote for you._

- [Finanzchef24: Versicherungen für Handwerker](https://www.finanzchef24.de/versicherung/handwerk)
- [transparent-beraten.de: Betriebsunterbrechungsversicherung](https://www.transparent-beraten.de/betriebsunterbrechungsversicherung/)
- [Funk: Rückrufkosten-Versicherung](https://www.funk-gruppe.de/de/themen-blog/versicherungs-management/rueckrufkosten-versicherung)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Craft brewery** (Small breweries, distilleries and cider makers selling direct): Business liability, Business contents. Together: around €600 to €1,600 a year
- **Regional** (Firms with their own bottling and deliveries to shops and restaurants): Business liability, Business contents, Machinery breakdown, Business interruption. Together: around €3,000 to €8,000 a year
- **Distribution** (Breweries with their own fleet and retail customers): Business liability, Business contents, Machinery breakdown, Business interruption, Cargo insurance, Fleet insurance, Group accident insurance. Together: around €10,000 to €25,000 a year

## The worst day at the brewery

Six things that happen in breweries and distilleries, all on one Saturday before the town festival. Tap through and see who pays.

- 06:00: A storage tank cracked along its weld overnight. 15,000 litres of beer are in the sewer. (€32,000, Paid by: Business contents)
- 09:10: The labelling machine on the filling line jams; its gearbox has broken. (€14,000, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 11:30: In a drinks store a bottle that is still fermenting bursts. A customer is injured in the eye. (€18,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 14:45: While unloading at the festival tent a pallet tips off the lorry. 60 crates are broken. (€2,400, Paid by: Cargo insurance)
- 15:00: With no bottling, there is nothing for the festival and two weeks of trade. (€45,000, Paid by: Business interruption)
- 20:20: In the distillery, alcohol vapour ignites at the still. Still room and stock burn out. (€160,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €271,400

## Practical tips from your broker

- Include leakage of beer, wine, cider and spirits from tanks and casks expressly, with a sum that matches your largest tank.
- Have damage from bursting bottles and glass shards confirmed in your product liability.
- If you serve drinks or run a brewpub, the hospitality side belongs in your general liability and contents insurance as well.
- Insure empties and deposit stock too; they are often a surprisingly large part of the inventory.
- Look at a recall cost block as soon as you supply drinks stores or retail chains.
- For distilleries: agree fire and explosion protection with the insurer, as ventilation conditions are often written into the policy.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We ask about the tank, not just the turnover:** Tank rupture, bottle pressure, empties: we know where standard policies leave gaps for breweries, and we compare quotes from several insurers.
- **We know liquid damage:** In boat insurance we settle water damage claims ourselves. We know how to prove cause and quantity so that the insurer pays.
- **Business, brewpub and family:** We look after production, hospitality, vehicles and your private cover from one place, and can do so in English.
- **Tradition meets tradition:** We have been a family business since 1989. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Does a brewery need product liability?

Yes. Under the German Product Liability Act you are liable without fault, for example for bursting bottles or contamination. It is usually part of general liability; check the sum and the exclusions.

### Is leaking beer covered?

Only with an extension for escaping liquids or tank rupture. Burst pipe cover generally does not include it.

### What does insurance cost for a small brewery?

Liability and contents start at around €600 a year. With machinery and business interruption, regional breweries usually pay between €3,000 and €8,000.

### Are home brewers covered?

If you only brew for yourself, personal liability insurance protects you as long as you do not sell. As soon as you sell beer, you need business liability cover.

### What is different for distilleries?

The risk of fire and explosion is higher, so insurers ask for fire protection and inspect the premises more closely. The value of the spirits in store must be insured too.

### Who pays if an employee collapses in the fermentation cellar?

The BGN, as statutory accident insurer, pays for treatment and rehabilitation. A CO2 warning system is required by the rules and saves lives.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-brewery.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.