Festival season is the heartbeat of the craft beer community. It’s the time of year when breweries pack up the jockey boxes, load the van, and head to city parks or fairgrounds to reach new fans. But as you move your operation from the controlled environment of your taproom to a chaotic festival booth, your risk profile changes overnight.
Many owners assume that because they are “covered at home,” they are covered everywhere. In reality, once your beer and staff hit the road, you are operating “in the wild,” and your standard policy might have some dangerous gaps.
The Risks: From Highway to High-Proof
When you take your brand on the road, you encounter three primary categories of risk that don’t exist behind your bar:
- Cargo in Transit: What happens if a strap snaps or you’re forced to slam on the brakes, and $5,000 worth of specialty kegs and a custom-wrapped jockey box are destroyed in the back of the truck?
- Staff & Volunteer Safety: Festivals are high-energy, crowded, and often outdoors in the heat. A staff member lifting a heavy keg on uneven grass or a volunteer tripping over a CO2 line can lead to immediate workers’ compensation or liability claims.
- The “Over-Serve” Nightmare: Monitoring consumption at a festival is notoriously difficult. If a volunteer at your booth over-serves a guest who later causes a car accident, your brewery—not just the festival organizer—could be held liable.
The Insurance Angle: Inland Marine & Off-Premises Liquor
To stay protected, you need to understand two specific types of coverage that are often overlooked:
Inland Marine Insurance
Despite the name, this has nothing to do with the ocean. Inland Marine is the industry term for coverage that protects your property while it is in transit or being stored away from your primary location. Your standard “Business Personal Property” (BPP) coverage often stops at the edge of your parking lot. If your equipment is stolen from a hotel parking lot or smashed on the highway, Inland Marine is the safety net that covers the replacement cost.
Off-Premises Liquor Liability
This is the most critical gap. Many brewery owners don’t realize that their Liquor Liability policy may be location-specific. If your policy only lists your taproom address, it might not follow you to a city-wide beer fest three towns over. You must ensure your policy includes “off-premises” endorsements or that you’ve secured a Special Event Liability floater for the weekend.
Mitigation Tip: The COI Trap
When you sign up for a festival, the organizer will often provide a Certificate of Insurance (COI). While this is a good sign, do not assume it protects you. A festival’s COI generally protects the organizer and the venue, not your specific equipment or your employees. Before the event, send a copy of the festival’s insurance requirements to your agent to ensure your own coverage “dovetails” with theirs.
Expert Tip: Always document your setup. Take a quick photo of your booth’s safety measures—taped-down cords, secured CO2 tanks, and “We ID” signage—before the gates open. It’s the best evidence you have if a claim arises later.
For more than 30 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 offices in California and Indiana, Beall Financial and Insurance Services serves clients nationwide.
