Brewery Equipment Finance UK: Brewing Vessels, Canning Lines & Taproom Funding

Brewery equipment finance is specialist asset finance for the brewing industry. From microbrewery startups to established regional independents, brewing requires significant capital investment in vessels, packaging lines, and cold storage. Equipment finance spreads this cost over 3–7 years, so you can scale production, add capacity, or open a taproom without depleting the cash reserves needed for ingredients, payroll, and distribution.

• Brewing vessels and fermenters — mash tuns, lauter tuns, boil kettles, fermentation tanks
• Bright beer tanks (BBTs) — conditioning and serving vessels
• Canning and bottling lines — from compact can seamers to full automated lines
• Kegging equipment — keg washers, fillers, and handling systems
• Cold storage and glycol systems — walk-in coolers, glycol chillers, and cold rooms
• Filtration and centrifuge equipment — for beer clarification and yeast management
• Bar and taproom fit-out — bar builds, seating, dispense equipment, and fixtures
• Delivery vehicles — vans and trucks for distribution to trade and retail

• Preserve working capital — keep cash for malt, hops, yeast, packaging, and payroll
• Scale production — upgrade from 5bbl to 20bbl or 30bbl without a cash crunch
• Package everything in one agreement — vessels, canning line, and cold storage under one facility
• Taproom fit-out — finance the bar, seating, and dispense equipment alongside brewing kit
• Tax efficiency — hire purchase qualifies for AIA; lease payments are 100% tax-deductible
• Match cost to revenue — equipment generates income over its useful life, so spreading the cost aligns with production output

Many UK breweries source equipment from European manufacturers — BrauKon (Germany), ABE (Netherlands), Salm (Austria), and others. We can arrange finance for imported brewing equipment, subject to UK delivery and installation. The finance facility covers the equipment cost, shipping, and in some cases the installation cost. This is particularly useful for breweries scaling up from a small kit to a full production brewhouse, where the total project cost includes far more than just the vessels.

When a brewery scales up, the project typically involves multiple elements — a new brewhouse, additional fermenters, a canning or bottling line, and possibly a cold room or taproom refurbishment. Rather than financing each element separately (which means multiple lenders, multiple agreements, and fragmented terms), we can package the entire project into a single facility. This simplifies documentation, aligns repayment schedules, and often achieves better overall pricing. Single-package brewery projects from £100,000 to £2M+ are common.

Yes. We work with lenders who assess microbrewery applications on their individual merits — not just trading history. For startups, the following strengthen the application: relevant brewing industry experience, a signed supply agreement or distribution contract, a clear business plan with projected revenue, and personal investment (skin in the game). New breweries with less than 2 years trading history are regularly considered. A deposit of 20–30% is typical for startup brewery finance, reducing as the business establishes a track record.

Many breweries generate significant revenue through on-site taprooms and hospitality. We can finance the full taproom build-out — bar construction, seating, dispense equipment, glassware, and fixtures — as a capital asset over 3–7 years. This can be packaged with brewing equipment under a single facility or structured as a separate agreement. Franchise and tied house agreements are understood by our lenders, who factor taproom revenue potential into affordability assessments.

Interest rates for brewery equipment finance typically range from 6% to 10% depending on business age, credit profile, and equipment type. Terms: 3–7 years for brewing vessels and packaging lines, 2–5 years for smaller equipment. Deposits range from 10% to 30% (higher for startups). Facilities available from £25,000 to £2M+. Sale and leaseback is available on equipment you already own, releasing capital for expansion.