USPAP-compliant appraisals by best-in-class appraisers
.avif)
Joe Kattan
Jason Dolph, CAGA
Tim Roy, ASA, CEA
Marnie Erkelens, CAGA
Aron Blue
About AppraiseItNow's Brewery Equipment Appraisal Services
AppraiseItNow provides fast, fully online or onsite brewery equipment appraisals for tax filings, insurance coverage and claims, asset-based lending, estate and gift tax reporting, financial reporting, and transactional purposes including brewery acquisitions and divestitures. Brewery equipment represents a specialized and capital-intensive asset class, and accurate valuation requires appraisers who understand both the mechanical condition of brewing systems and the secondary market dynamics that drive resale and liquidation values. Our mission is to deliver defensible, USPAP-compliant valuations with exceptional speed, professionalism, and client service.
Our appraisers serve brewery owners, investors, lenders, CPAs, attorneys, and estate professionals who require independent valuations for IRS filings, insurance claims, divorce proceedings, bankruptcy, and business transactions. Brewery equipment appraisals are often completed remotely using equipment lists, photographs, and manufacturer documentation, though onsite inspections are coordinated when required by asset complexity, operating condition, or lender scope of work. As a specialized subset of equipment and machinery appraisals, brewery valuations follow the same rigorous USPAP standards applied across all commercial and industrial asset classes. We offer Fair Market Value (FMV), Orderly Liquidation Value (OLV), Forced Liquidation Value (FLV), and Replacement Value appraisals for various intended uses.
What Types of Brewery Equipment Do We Appraise?
Brewery operations involve a wide range of interconnected systems, and AppraiseItNow appraises individual pieces as well as complete brewery buildouts. Covered asset types include:
- Brewhouses: mash tuns, lauter tuns, brew kettles, and whirlpools
- Fermentation vessels: unitanks, open fermenters, and brite tanks
- Bright beer tanks and conditioning tanks
- Canning and bottling lines, including fillers, seamers, and labelers
- Kegging equipment and keg washers
- Refrigeration and glycol chilling systems
- Grain handling and milling equipment
- Filtration and centrifuge systems
- Compressed air, CO2, and nitrogen systems
- Taproom and draft dispensing equipment
Who Does AppraiseItNow Serve?
AppraiseItNow serves brewery owners, craft beverage entrepreneurs, lenders, and investors alongside professional advisors including CPAs, attorneys, and estate planners who require independent, defensible valuations for tax, legal, or financial purposes.
5-Star Valuation Services, Loved by Hundreds
{{sectionName}}
{{sectionName}}
{{sectionName}}
{{sectionName}}
Machinery & Equipment valuations for commercial and personal clients
Servicing Commercial & Industrial Businesses
AppraiseItNow serves major businesses and commercial clients, including:
- Banks and lenders
- Construction companies
- Infrastructure contractors
- Inudstrial & manufacturing companies
- Internal finance teams
- CPAs
- Attorneys
Servicing Individuals & Households
AppraiseItNow also serves individual consumers with projects large and small. These clients often include:
- Machinery & Equipment owners or estate inheritors
- Individuals making non-cash charitable donations
- Couples going through marital divorce
- Families dealing with estate planning or post-death estate matters
- Individuals dealing with insurance or other third-party claims
- Individuals going through major financial or other life events
.svg)
View all Locations
How our Valuation Process Works
Written USPAP-compliant equipment appraisals for when defensibility matters.
Given the USPAP-compliant nature of AppraiseItNow’s appraisal reports, we prepare our deliverables for major legal, tax, and financial reporting purposes for individual and commercial clients.
Popular uses of our appraisal reports include:
Tax, Estate & Financial Planning
- Gift Tax - IRS Form 709
- Estate Tax - IRS Form 706
- Charitable Donations - filing of IRS Form 8283
- Estate planning, equitable distribution, and probate
Transactions, Lending & Investment
- Asset-backed Lending
- Purchase price allocation & cost segregation
- Mergers & Acquisitions (transactional due diligence)
- Investment analysis & planning
- Financial Reporting
Insurance & Risk Management
Life Events & Special Circumstances
- Divorce
- Social Security reporting or Medicaid Application Filings
- E-2 visa applications
What types of brewery equipment does AppraiseItNow appraise?
AppraiseItNow appraises the full range of commercial brewing assets, from small craft brewery setups to large-scale production facilities. This includes equipment such as:
- Brewhouses and mash tuns
- Fermentation tanks and bright beer tanks
- Brite tanks and conditioning vessels
- Keg washers and filling lines
- Glycol chiller systems and steam boilers
- Canning and bottling lines
- Grain mills and milling equipment
- Pumps, heat exchangers, and process piping
- Cold storage and refrigeration systems
- Laboratory and quality control equipment
Are your brewery equipment appraisals USPAP-compliant?
Yes. All AppraiseItNow brewery equipment appraisals are developed and reported in compliance with USPAP Standards 7 and 8, which govern personal property appraisals in the United States. Standard 7 requires appraisers to identify the problem, determine scope, analyze the market, collect and verify data, and reconcile results, while Standard 8 requires that the report communicate findings clearly and without misleading information. Our appraisers hold credentials from recognized bodies such as the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) and the Association of Machinery and Equipment Appraisers (AMEA), whose members must complete 15 hours of initial USPAP training and 7-hour biennial updates.
What are common reasons someone needs a brewery equipment appraisal?
Brewery owners, investors, and legal professionals request appraisals for a wide variety of purposes, including:
- IRS-qualified charitable donations of equipment valued over $5,000 (requiring Form 8283)
- Estate and inheritance tax reporting
- Business sales, mergers, or acquisitions
- Asset-based lending and loan collateral
- Insurance scheduling and damage claims
- Bankruptcy and liquidation proceedings
- Divorce and equitable distribution
- Internal financial planning and capital budgeting
Can you appraise brewery equipment in poor condition, with unknown provenance, or with limited documentation?
Yes. Appraisers assess equipment in all conditions, including corroded fermenters, worn pumps, or tanks with incomplete maintenance histories. When documentation is limited, appraisers rely on physical inspection, OEM plates, build dates, serial numbers, and comparable sales data from brewery auctions and secondary market listings to develop credible values. Condition findings, including sanitation failures or functional obsolescence, are factored into the final value conclusion under all applicable approaches.
Can you appraise large collections or multiple pieces of brewery equipment?
Yes. AppraiseItNow regularly appraises entire brewery inventories, including mixed sets of production equipment, packaging lines, and ancillary systems. Whether you have a single fermenter or a full-scale production facility with dozens of assets, we can scope the engagement appropriately and provide volume pricing for larger projects.
Do you provide online or remote brewery equipment appraisals?
Most brewery equipment appraisals are completed remotely using photos, equipment lists, serial numbers, maintenance records, and other documentation you provide. For larger projects, complex installations, or situations where a physical inspection is required by scope or intended use, we can coordinate an in-person appraiser anywhere in the United States.
How much does a brewery equipment appraisal cost?
Appraisal fees depend on the number of assets, the complexity of the equipment, and the intended use of the report. Standard appraisals for insurance coverage, internal planning, estate distribution, and probate start at $295, while advanced appraisals for IRS filings, charitable contributions, M&A due diligence, asset-based lending, litigation support, bankruptcy, and transactional uses start at $395. Volume pricing tiers are as follows:
- 1 item: $295 to $595 (single machine appraisal)
- 10 items: $995 to $3,000 (small fleet or mixed equipment set)
- 50 or more items: $5,000 to $10,000 or more (larger inventory, frequently completed in person)
Do you offer discounted pricing for large volumes?
Yes. Pricing scales favorably as the number of assets increases, and larger brewery inventories are quoted at reduced per-unit rates compared to single-item appraisals. Contact AppraiseItNow for a custom quote based on your specific asset count, equipment types, and intended use.
How long does a brewery equipment appraisal take?
Most remote brewery equipment appraisals are completed within 7 to 10 business days from the time all required documentation is received. Onsite inspections or larger multi-asset inventories typically take 2 to 3 weeks. Rush service is available for same-day or next-day turnaround upon request, which is useful when appraisals are needed for time-sensitive financing, legal proceedings, or tax deadlines.
Who prepares the appraisal report?
Appraisal reports are prepared by credentialed machinery and equipment appraisers with specific experience valuing commercial brewing assets. Each report identifies the appraiser by name, credentials, and inspection date, as required by USPAP and AMEA standards. AppraiseItNow's appraisal team includes professionals such as Jason Dolph (CAGA) and Tim Roy (ASA, CEA), supported by a client success team to manage the process from intake through delivery.
Do you prepare appraisals for IRS Form 8283 (Noncash Charitable Contributions)?
Yes. AppraiseItNow prepares qualified appraisals for brewery equipment donated to eligible organizations, with the appraiser signing Section B of Form 8283 as required by the IRS. A qualified appraisal is mandatory for noncash charitable contributions exceeding $5,000, and donations valued above $500,000 require full inspection and photo documentation. Our appraisers meet the IRS definition of a qualified appraiser and maintain workfiles for the required retention period of five or more years.
Do you buy, sell, or broker brewery equipment?
No. AppraiseItNow is an independent appraisal firm and does not buy, sell, or broker brewery equipment. This independence is essential to producing credible, unbiased valuations, and it also ensures compliance with USPAP ethics requirements, which prohibit contingent fees tied to a percentage of appraised value.
What information do you need to get started?
To begin a brewery equipment appraisal, it helps to provide as much of the following as possible:
- A complete list of all equipment to be appraised, including manufacturer, model, and serial numbers
- Photos of each piece of equipment, including OEM plates and any visible wear or damage
- Year of manufacture and purchase date if known
- Maintenance records, service logs, or inspection reports
- Original purchase invoices or prior appraisal reports
- Details on any custom modifications, installation costs, or site-specific upgrades
- The intended use of the appraisal (insurance, IRS filing, sale, financing, etc.)
Can AppraiseItNow appraise brewery equipment located anywhere in the U.S.?
Yes. Remote appraisals are available for brewery equipment located in any state, and most engagements can be completed without an in-person visit. For larger facilities, complex multi-asset inventories, or situations requiring physical inspection, we can coordinate an in-person appraiser in any state across the country.
Will my appraisal be accepted by the IRS, insurers, or courts?
AppraiseItNow appraisal reports are USPAP-compliant, prepared by credentialed appraisers, and structured to meet the acceptance standards of the IRS, insurance carriers, lenders, and courts. For IRS purposes, our reports satisfy the qualified appraisal requirements for Form 8283 and estate tax filings, including appraiser identification, inspection date, and dated photo documentation as required by AMEA and IRS guidance. For litigation or insurance claims, reports are written to withstand scrutiny and support defensible value conclusions.
How do appraisers determine the value of a custom brewhouse or one-of-a-kind fermentation system?
Custom brewery installations are among the most challenging assets to value because owners often overestimate their worth based on original build and installation costs. Under USPAP Standard 7 market analysis, appraisers typically apply a deduction of 20 to 50 percent for relocation impracticality, since most custom brewhouses cannot be moved without significant cost or loss of functionality. The appraiser will use the cost approach (replacement cost new less depreciation), the sales comparison approach using recent brewery auction results from sources like BidSpotter or Ritchie Bros., and in some cases an income approach based on production capacity, then reconcile these into a single credible value conclusion.
How does equipment type affect depreciation rates in a brewery appraisal?
Different categories of brewery equipment depreciate at very different rates, which affects both insured values and liquidation estimates. Fermentation tanks typically have a useful life of 5 to 7 years due to sanitation failures and seal degradation, while milling equipment can remain serviceable for 15 or more years. Market conditions also play a role: post-COVID supply chain disruptions and hop market shifts have inflated kettle values by roughly 15 to 25 percent in income-based approaches, so appraisers must account for both physical depreciation and current market demand when developing values.
What happens if my brewery equipment appraisal is rejected by the IRS?
IRS rejection of a brewery equipment appraisal most commonly occurs when the report lacks required elements such as the inspector's name, the inspection date, or dated photographs, even if the value itself is accurate. Appraisals prepared on a contingent fee basis (where the appraiser is paid a percentage of the appraised value) are automatically disqualified under IRS rules. To avoid disallowance of a charitable contribution or estate tax deduction, it is critical to work with a qualified appraiser who follows USPAP and AMEA documentation standards and retains a complete workfile for at least five years after the appraisal date.
APPRAISEITNOW APPRAISERS ARE BEST-IN-CLASS & CREDENTIALED BY LEADING APPRAISAL ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE ISA, ASA, & MORE.
