A few years from now, the simulator industry will run out of things to simulate and someone will finally release “Simulator Game Development Simulator;” the snake will eat its own tail, the prophecy will be fulfilled, and a new golden age of game development will begin. Until then, there’s bound to be a new simulator game that touches upon a hobby or interest you’ve always had half an inkling to try, and for me, Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator scratched that itch.
Brewmaster falls into the “semi-authentic representation set in a perfect hobby shop” category of simulation games, à la PC Building Simulator or Woodworking Simulator. You’re presented with a cozy workshop to learn and hone this craft, where ingredients never run out after you’ve bought them once.
In Brewmaster’s Story mode, you’ll work your way up through various processes and tools for modern brewing, unlocking recipes and completing jobs for local events, and eventually being recruited to local breweries. The process gives you enough practice before moving on to deeper concepts, both through its stated objectives and by granting enough free rein to experiment on your own between those objectives.
“Brewmaster strikes a lot of compromises, and your enjoyment will rely on your interest in the hobby, and what you want out of a simulator.”
If you’ve played other sims, it should be a pretty familiar setup despite the different trappings. You aren’t necessarily focused on turning a profit in Brewmaster as you are in PC Building Simulator, nor are you saddled with buying and rebuying components as you use them repeatedly. This makes for a more chill experience, but also deflates the potency of the “simulator” aspect.
Therein lies the rub. Brewmaster strikes a lot of compromises, and your enjoyment will rely on your interest in the hobby, and what you want out of a simulator. If you want a wholly realistic experience, well, Brewmaster glazes over a few of the less compelling aspects, like ensuring your tools are clean and such.
At one point my finished brew had boiled down and was no longer a suitable batch size, so I had to pour more tap water into it… and it turned out as a perfectly passable product, not something like the censored culinary disasters you can create in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I’ve never brewed beer at all but I have to assume adding regular tap water into a finished product would have some impact on its flavour profile.
And maybe it’s just me, but there’s a certain hollowness at the end of the brewing process. As someone who enjoys craft beer, the end of each brew felt like hitting the drop in a roller coaster and coming to a dead stop instead—leaving the player like some kind of Sisyphean figure from mythology, cursed to produce various dream beers and never being allowed to consume them.
“…I’m pleased with the balance Brewmaster strikes between simulating the real craft and making a fun tinkering game.”
There are, unfortunately, a handful of bugs going around at Brewmaster’s launch. I personally had my progress shut down when my cupboard told me I owned no grains, but I could not order more of the variety I needed because the game told me I already owned it. Users on the Steam forums have identified others with less game-breaking intensity as well.
However overall, I’m pleased with the balance Brewmaster strikes between simulating the real craft and making a fun tinkering game. Not having to tediously restock my cupboards with enough ingredients is a blessing, though I would have preferred a more precise pouring method than rolling my scroll wheel to actually tip containers. More direct guidance on how to affect individual aspects would’ve been nice as well, or at least having steps on a recipe automatically crossed off as they’re performed.
It’s not so in-depth that it could be called “hardcore” and scare off more casual audiences, but grounds itself in detail enough to appease experts. Much like craft beers themselves, Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator wears the title of “simulation game,” but there’s a world of variety within that label. It’s worth checking out if you’re curious, and seeing if its flavour profile matches with your tastes.
