LANCASTER — Benford Brewing, a small agricultural brewery in Lancaster, has announced it is temporarily halting on-premise beer consumption after struggling for months under what the brewery’s owner has called “modern-day Prohibition.”
Owner Bryan O’Neal told Free Times a key turning point for the brewery was in September 2025 when the craft brewery’s insurance policy expired and O’Neal struggled to find another insurance company to quote him on coverage.
The situation reflects what has been an issue for bar and restaurants of all sizes across South Carolina, who are either facing extremely high premiums or struggling to find coverage as insurance companies leave the state.
A new law passed in May 2025 was supposed to help lower costs by making changes like reducing insurance coverage requirements for businesses who have ID scanners, have bartenders take alcohol training certification programs and where alcohol makes up less than 40 percent of sales, but many local business owners said the changes provide little — if any — relief.
“I think we’re all just tired of it,” O’Neal said.
The turning point
After his insurance expired, O’Neal said he decided to close at 5 p.m. in an effort to avoid liquor liability insurance completely. He was even joined by another local bar, LA Tap Room, but with limited hours and opportunities to serve people after work, O’Neal said the effort started feeling worthless.
The bar owner said he struggled to adjust to the new hours and felt frustrated having customers walk in at 4:15 p.m. after work just for them to need to leave in 45 minutes.
“‘Why can’t you open? Why you gotta close a 5?’” O’Neal said people would ask constantly. “It’s, just, it’s not fun. They’ve sucked the fun out of it.”
O’Neal said the brewery quickly became a burden and took time away from other parts of his farm. He tried to secure a one-day special-event policy, but said S.C. Department of Revenue rules didn’t allow the events he and a fellow bar owner had planned.
“I want to feed my cows, run my sawmill, have a little bit of beer. That’s all,” O’Neal said. “We need business freedom.”
Now his hope is that announcing the closure of Benford Brewing will be enough to bring attention to the issue and encourage some change while he shifts his focus to making an income.
An AI-generated image of a grave that accompanied Benford Brewing’s closing announcement.
“We’ve got to wake up these politicians, these legislators, and we need to be able to operate your business the way you intend,” O’Neal said.
Someday, O’Neal said he hopes to reopen the brewery “if cooler heads can prevail.”
Benford Brewing is located at 2271 Boxcar Road in Lancaster. The farm will still sell raw milk, beef, chicken, eggs and honey and will be open for visits by appointment only.
