Fire Protection

However you approach it, there are cost-effective ways to add a tasting area to your brewery while providing the level of safety intended by the building code, but without compromising on the experience for your patrons or practicality for your operations.

With the increasing popularity of ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, many breweries are looking to expand their lineup beyond beer. The production of RTD beverages involve ingredients that have a higher alcohol content than beer. Due to their high alcohol content, many of the ingredients used in RTD production are flammable and therefore pose fire and explosion risks that brewers may not be familiar with. Managing these risks in conjunction with local building codes and fire codes can prove challenging for smaller operations, as the codes tend to be written with large industrial operations in mind, not a local brewery. It’s important to manage these risks for several reasons: to keep employees and customers safe, to protect your operation from downtime associated with an accident or noncompliance, to satisfy your insurer, and to get acceptance from your local building and fire departments for any renovations associated with the expansion into RTDs.