As a group, craft breweries give an impression of cooperation, collaboration, and camaraderie. That attitude is coming across loud and clear in the guest tap trend.

Guest taps are fun for customers, who get to taste two or three craft breweries’ offerings without having to drive from one to the other. They’re a gesture of goodwill. And they can be a great marketing tool.

If these benefits make you think about similar benefits to brewing collaboration beers, you’re definitely on the right track. And just like collaboration brews, Beall Brewery Insurance points out, guest taps can expose a craft brewery to unanticipated risks.

Before You Launch a Guest Taps Program

• Make sure you understand your state’s pertinent laws on the subject. The law may include intricacies you probably wouldn’t ordinarily consider, such as

1. Is there a maximum number of guest taps allowed?
2. Can guest taps include cider, mead, or wine? Or can a craft brewery’s guest taps only be for beer?
3. Can your brewery do growler fills from guest taps?

• Ensure your brewery is protected—and that your guest brewery is, too. Check with your brewery insurance agent to find out if you need to request

1. A certificate of insurance from the guest brewery for their general liability, business auto, property in transit, or workers compensation coverage.
2. To be added as an additional insured on your guest brewery’s general liability and business auto coverage.
3. A waiver of subrogation for their workers compensation coverage.

• Finally, establish a plan for your guest taps program.

1. Are there particular types of breweries you want to connect with? (Only breweries from your area of the state, for instance, or only breweries that brew beer styles you don’t brew.)
2. What’s your reciprocation policy? Will you drop a guest brewery as a result of that brewery not requesting some of your beer to pour in their tasting room?
3. What is your policy if a guest brewery’s beer turns out to be spoiled or contaminated?

A guest taps program can be a big boost to your craft brewery, if you develop and follow a plan to get the best out of it and avoid any risk exposures.

For more than 25 years, Beall Financial and Insurance Services, Inc., has been helping corporations and individuals protect their most important assets. The agency’s client base covers a spectrum of niche businesses, such as craft breweries, that require specialized insurance packages and knowledge. With California offices in Redlands and Newport Beach, Beall Financial and Insurance Services serves clients nationwide.