Today, we enjoy virtual happy hours and read beer news on mobile devices. And while you can find beer apps that share homebrewing techniques, and others that allow you to "check-in" and keep track of beers (our personal favorite), there previously hasn't been a way to brew virtual beer. 

Until now. 

Set to release this year on the popular Steam platform, Brewmaster is a simulator designed by Auroch Digital and published by Sold Out that captures an authentic homebrewing experience. 

When it releases later in 2022, the game will focus on all parts of the beermaking process, from recipe construction to mashing in, the boil, and yeast and hop additions. You'll even bottle and label your beer and enter it into competitions. 

"Within Auroch Digital, there are a bunch of us that are into beer…we also have some homebrewers…so we're interested in the many different types of beer, the history of brewing, and the craft of how you brew beer," says Tomas Rawlings, studio director at Auroch Digital. "As game developers, we tend to view our interests through the lens of video games. This got us thinking: 'How can a video game help us to express that interest? How can we make the craft of brewing in a form that is true to the art but also opens it up to new people?'"

Brewmaster offers two options to help players realize their brewing dreams. First, the story-led Brewmaster mode lets you build a home brewery from the ground-up. You'll create your own recipes and enter them into friendly competitions, building brewer cred by winning beer tokens that you can use to unlock upgrades–that range from advanced equipment to BeerAdvocate and Untappd glassware and Hop Culture festival posters. In Creative Mode, users experiment in a sandbox with everything unlocked. 

"For me the broader goal of the game is to teach people about homebrewing and get them into the hobby in an accessible and fun way," says Matt Bone, principal designer. "It's about lowering the barrier of entry to the homebrewing world. In the game itself, the player will be working their way up from a novice brewer by completing jobs and entering competitions, until they're a fully-fledged Brewmaster working with local breweries to release their homebrewed concoctions."

Prior to Brewmaster, the Auroch Digital team worked with the European Space Agency to create Mars Horizon, a simulator that allows players to start their own space agency and lead a mission to Mars. With Brewmaster, the same team has built an entire virtual world of realistic beer brewing to help players become the ultimate brewmaster. 

Within the game, users leverage state-of-the art equipment and real-world ingredients, following recipes to craft their best beers. The best part? Users don't need a PhD in chemistry or biology to play. 

"We want Brewmaster to be a space that both brewers and non-brewers will enjoy immersing themselves into to relax and unwind," says Rawlings. "This means that the game strives to authentically represent the chemical processes that go on when you're brewing beer. So it's not just 'click to add hops'- it's about selecting the right type of hops for the beer you want to brew, putting in the right amount, at the right temperature, and at the right time."

Playing Brewmaster is the perfect way to dabble in homebrewing, hone skills, and understand the business and science of an awesome hobby. The only missing piece? Getting to drink your homemade creations at the end. But you can still pour your beers in a virtual taproom and you won't need to endure the hassle of equipment storage, or an intense cleanup!

Brewmaster will be available on Steam for Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch this year. If you want a sneak peek, check out the FREE demo at Steam Next Fest, which is taking place from June 13th to June 20th. And then stay updated on the official release date by joining the Brewmaster mailing list, following on Twitter, and joining the Discord chat.

CHECK OUT BREWMASTER

Please Note: Videos and images on this page are from an early build still in development and are not reflective of the final quality. Follow the game to stay updated as development of Brewmaster progresses.