This indie 'adventure flight' game dares to ask, 'What if Crimson Skies was about making beer?'

GamesActionThis indie ‘adventure flight’ game dares to ask, ‘What if Crimson Skies was about making beer?‘When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

YouTubeWatch On

YouTube

The Brew Baronsis a game built on an idea that is simultaneously very odd and so perfectly aimed at my specific interests that as soon as I saw the first trailer, I had to know more. It’s a mashup of old-timey Crimson Skies-style aeroplanes and beer, and as weird as that sounds, it actually comes together pretty well.

Which is what you aim to be: With a beat-up biplane and a run-down brewpub, your goal is to establish your business and build up a clientele, make and deliver quality booze to sketchy dives and high-class hotels scattered throughout the islands, and do battle in the skies against the predatory forces of cheap liquor.

Brewing is also a very simplified process: Dump a mix of ingredients into a vat, add some yeast, press a button, and bam—maybe you get something good (especially if you use one of the game’s many recipes) and maybe, if you try to wing it, you end up with a gooey mess that’s better poured down the drain. Bottle it up and sell it at your own establishment, or sell it to one of the many other gin joints scattered throughout the islands.

You can customize your pub in various ways and serve different sorts of alcohol that will attract or discourage various sorts of drinkers, earning you more or less money in the process. But if, like me, you’re mainly here for fun in the skies, a more hands-off approach also works, especially if you manage to recruit a good bartender. It’s a bit like Field of Dreams: As long as you’ve got something on tap, people will show up to drink it.

Likewise, your plane can be modified in all sorts of ways to make it a better fighter or harvester, and you’ll also have the opportunity to hire different people to handle the various aspects of your business: A brewer, a bartender, an accountant, a better pilot, and so forth. Most of them seem to be roguish ne’er-do-wells in one way or another, but let’s be honest, you’re building a business on drinkin’ and fightin’, and that’s naturally going to attract a certain type of personality.

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

There’s quite a bit going on but it unfolds at a slow, manageable pace, and that overall simplicity of The Brew Barons is a big part of what I like about it. It’s easy fun, an old-time adventure in the spirit of games like Crimson Skies but with more of an exploration/sightseeing angle (there are underwater wrecks to salvage, exotic recipes floating in bottles, bits of lore to discover, and other little sidelines that help keep things interesting) and, of course, making beer. Or whatever you like: You can brew all sorts of alcoholic beverages, like cider, whiskey, gin, wine, rum, whatever, but as the saying goes, I’m here for the beer. It’s the kind of game that’s easy to jump into and horse around with, without demanding a great investment in time or mental energy.

YouTubeWatch On

YouTube

The pre-release build I played was a little rough in some spots. Some aspects of the brewing system aren’t immediately intuitive, and a couple of times the mouse controls seemed to disconnect from the plane, resulting in a quick crash into the water. Landings were also tricky: Despite the arcade flight model, I had to be very careful and precise to avoid doing damage to my plane and valuable cargo while coming down on the water. Developer Lifetap Studios said they’re still fine-tuning the game, and damage thresholds are something they were looking at for the final release.

I only put a few hours into The Brew Barons so I can’t comment on how it holds up over the long haul, but the time I spent with it was good fun and I’m looking forward to more. The Brew Barons is out today onSteam.

More about actionAssassin’s Creed Shadows is delayed again ‘to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months’Helldivers 2 is getting a film adaptation, even though Starship Troopers already existsLatestToday’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10See more latest►

More about action

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is delayed again ‘to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months’Helldivers 2 is getting a film adaptation, even though Starship Troopers already exists

Image of Yasuke striking an enemy in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is delayed again ‘to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months’

Helldivers 2 intro cinematic

Helldivers 2 is getting a film adaptation, even though Starship Troopers already exists

LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10See more latest►

Latest

Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10

Today’s Wordle being played on a phone

Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10

See more latest►

Most PopularTrack down a missing person in this ‘Geoguessr-inspired detective game’ set on an alien planetOld meets new as classic MMO players worship a famous Vtuber via gifts of bones so she can max out the Prayer skillHyper Light Breaker will cost $30 and for a limited time come with a free copy of DrifterFallout season 2 filming delayed due to massive LA firesAssassin’s Creed Shadows is delayed again ‘to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months’The Freewrite Wordrunner with a built-in word counter might be the keyboard to look out for if you want to improve your writing process’I created it, let me move on’: Ex-Cloud 9 player, the Overwatch team whose blunder inspired the infamous ‘C9’ slang, watches in horror as the term moves onto Marvel RivalsLenovo’s rollable laptop screen isn’t just a CES party trick—you’ll be able to pick one up yourself in JuneNvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang’s simple reminder that useful quantum computing is a long way off has somehow caused industry stocks to plummetAfter 15 years, Minecraft has finally added two new pig variations: The warm pig and the cold pig, meaning I can delete one mod off my listIf you love a big laptop without a big price tag, this RTX 4070 17.3-incher is an ideal pick at $1,300

Most Popular

Track down a missing person in this ‘Geoguessr-inspired detective game’ set on an alien planet

Old meets new as classic MMO players worship a famous Vtuber via gifts of bones so she can max out the Prayer skill

Hyper Light Breaker will cost $30 and for a limited time come with a free copy of Drifter

Fallout season 2 filming delayed due to massive LA fires

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is delayed again ‘to better incorporate player feedback gathered over the past three months’

The Freewrite Wordrunner with a built-in word counter might be the keyboard to look out for if you want to improve your writing process

‘I created it, let me move on’: Ex-Cloud 9 player, the Overwatch team whose blunder inspired the infamous ‘C9’ slang, watches in horror as the term moves onto Marvel Rivals

Lenovo’s rollable laptop screen isn’t just a CES party trick—you’ll be able to pick one up yourself in June

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang’s simple reminder that useful quantum computing is a long way off has somehow caused industry stocks to plummet

After 15 years, Minecraft has finally added two new pig variations: The warm pig and the cold pig, meaning I can delete one mod off my list

If you love a big laptop without a big price tag, this RTX 4070 17.3-incher is an ideal pick at $1,300

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals