The Brewline is an indie title developed by Alcora Games that casts players as an underground alcohol dealer trying to reclaim the reputation their brother once had in Volstead City while avoiding the gangs and police trying to shut the operation down. It’s currently available on the Steam platform. In The Brewline, players learn the basics of making different alcoholic drinks, from wine to vodka, and distributing them to people around the city to build connections and make money.
Players ferment crops such as barley and wheat to create beverages that different customers prefer, including sweet sake or bitter beer. They can also add effects to those drinks, such as making them relaxing or hypnotic, which certain NPCs will appreciate more than others.
The gameplay in The Brewline is simple to follow, but it’s effective in what it wants to achieve. Its core loop is reminiscent of the Schedule I simulation game, with players dodging the cops and enemy gangs while distributing alcohol to customers and building enough standing to sell more bottles for more money. The system here is more toned down than that comparison, but it works well enough as the foundation for a casual sim.
One cool mechanic lets players decorate their own bottle labels by importing images from their computers and choosing from a variety of background colors. It is a small feature, but it adds some welcome personality to each playthrough.
The Brewline operates on a day-and-night cycle where players need to complete their tasks across different locations. That includes making alcohol, running around the neighborhood to deliver bottles and purchasing ingredients that help keep the operation going. Time comes to a hard stop at 2 a.m. in game, which means players are not allowed to finish brewing drinks until the next day. That can feel like a sudden halt to the flow, but players can at least prepare machines and crops before going to sleep so everything starts moving faster in the morning.
When distributing alcohol to locals in The Brewline, players can raise the price per bottle. However, doing that risks customers rejecting the drink after too many attempts, which adds a fun risk-reward factor to each sale.
The combat feels a bit lackluster, though it is clearly secondary to the main sim gameplay. Players can gain access to different weapons as they progress, starting with pistols and melee weapons early on before unlocking shotguns and upgraded pistols later. However, enemies often feel more like a nuisance than a serious threat. Melee attacks are easy to dodge, and gang members with guns do not always feel dangerous enough to be scary.
Death also does not carry many harsh penalties in The Brewline, though a recent update added the loss of any alcohol carried by the player. That is a good change because it gives players more reason to be cautious. A difficulty system could help even more, especially for players who want the underground-boss fantasy to feel more challenging while still leaving room for those who prefer a casual brewing and selling experience.
The Brewline features a simple storyline that is easy to follow. Players begin as a jobless and homeless character before being recruited by an older brother named Bizmo, who runs the underground alcohol scene and has made a pretty big name for himself. After working with him for a bit, he suddenly gets caught in a sting operation. From there, it is up to the player to take up his mantle, distribute alcohol and figure out what happened.
The rival gang, called the Raccoons, has always been jealous of Bizmo’s success. Once he is out of the picture, it makes sense that they would come after the rookie trying to step into the business.
The tutorial and control scheme are easy enough to follow, but they have some issues that could be fixed. The tutorial includes videos that show players how to navigate menus and understand the basics. However, some of the video tutorials appear in a different language. The written tutorial text is still readable, but having the videos fully localized would make everything feel more polished.
There is also a house decoration mode, but the title does not explain much beyond placing important machines. It also does not clearly explain how to pick those items back up unless players check the control mapping screen. The Brewline also starts at 30 FPS even if a system can handle higher frame rates. Players can change that setting, but it is still a little annoying as a default. More visual options, such as adjusting brightness or shadows without lowering overall quality, would also be helpful.
The visuals and audio in The Brewline are serviceable, though they come with some issues. The lighting looks good and adds enough ambience to make Volstead City feel more immersive. The blocky visual style has charm, but some roads and pavement areas have obvious janky corners.
The music is decent and ranges from ambient tracks to various rock songs. Similar to the custom label feature, players can also add their own music files and listen to whatever they want, which is a nice touch.
The Brewline’s developers also published a statement about their art direction and use of AI saying, “We used AI tools (such as ChatGPT and SunoAI) to generate some textures, posters and background music within the game. However, no AI-generated content is used in the Steam store page, and no content is generated live during gameplay.”
The use of AI does not affect the core gameplay, but it is easy to notice that some character portraits and posters seem heavily influenced by AI-generated art. That may bother those players who are uncomfortable with AI use in games. Nevertheless, the developer’s honesty is appreciated.
Overall, The Brewline achieves its main goal of letting players make alcohol and run an underground business in a simulated world. The developers also seem to be actively listening to feedback and adding updates, including changes influenced by the community through Discord. For a first Steam release from Alcora Games, it is refreshing to see that kind of response.
I recommend trying The Brewline after a few more updates, as the core loop of brewing and selling alcohol can get repetitive. Still, this is a promising but rough experience that succeeds at its central concept. At the end of the day, your biggest enemy in The Brewline may not be the police or rival gangs. It might be your own greed when you try to squeeze one more dollar out of thirsty customers.
