The annual Oktoberfest opened its doors last weekend and people from all over the world flock to Germany to attend the world's largest folk festival. While the Munich breweries are busy brewing their Oktoberfest beer, the visitors drink it at least as diligently. Reason enough to present the five best beer-related board games just as diligently. In this sense: Cheers!
There are some board games about beer, but not many. After all, there are also new releases every now and then: for example Beer & Bread from Deep Print Games. You won't find this one, at least not in this list. The simple reason: It's not available yet. Beer & Bread will be the first game in the publisher's new 2-player game series. The idea: In the area surrounding a former monastery, there are two traditions in the two villages: brewing beer and baking bread. They share the fields and resources. Nevertheless, each village wants to outdo the other village in these prestigious activities. The central element here are “multi-use” cards. Beer & Bread will be in distribution at Pegasus Spiele be. The game is recommended for ages 10 and up. The game lasts between 30 and 45 minutes.
Matching the recent list about Water themed games we present you a list with a welcome cool down for the summer. A cool blond on the beach is always a refreshing affair. But even on a nice (games) evening with friends, a beer can't hurt. So, in this list, let's traverse the journey of the Germans' favorite alcoholic drink, from the field to our mouths.
Hallertau - Grows hops
Of course, the world's largest hop-growing region should not be missing from a list of beers. Hallertau, in Bavaria, has a worker placement game of the same name by the well-known successful author Uwe Rosenberg. The cultivation of the valuable hops is not our main goal here, but it is a part, because in Hallertau we play a village leader from the region and have to increase the reputation and wealth of our village.
Over six rounds, each of which is divided into ten phases, the players play cards to acquire workers, use them to carry out actions, work and harvest the fields, milk sheep and improve the village community center or the associated businesses. These are the carpentry, the brewery, the cold store, the bakery and the manufactory. The lucky winner is the person who has accumulated the most victory points in five categories.
Hallertau is an expert game for 1 - 4 players, which offers an easy start because the rules are not too complicated. However, over the course of the game, which lasts between 50 and 140 minutes, you also have many different opportunities to score points. Hallertau offers plenty of room to think long and hard about the perfect move in order to be able to score the best possible points in the end.
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Lookout | Hallertau | Expert game | Board game | 1-4 players |... * | 58,50 EUR |
Heaven & Ale - brews the best beer
After we have harvested our hops, we brew our beer in Heaven & Ale. We have taken over the management of a monastery and have decided to brew the best beer in the world in our own monastery brewery in the name of God.
To do this, the players have to grow raw materials, i.e. grain, water, hops, yeast and wood. Here you have the shady and the sunny side of the monastery garden at your disposal. If the player builds resources on the shady side, he only has to pay the price of the tile, on the sunny side he has to pay twice as much. However, the tiles in the bright area allow the master brewer to move to higher areas on the victory point track, while there is only money in the shady area.
At the end of the game you check how far the master brewer has moved, because the further he is, the lower the exchange value for raw materials (e.g. 4:1, 3:1, 2:1, 1:1). In this way, the raw material with the lowest value can be pushed forward in exchange for raw materials with a higher value. For example, if the master brewer is in an area with an exchange value of 2:1, higher raw materials must be moved back two spaces so that the lowest one can move up one space. This makes sense because the raw material that is furthest behind is multiplied by the victory point value that the master brewer has achieved in order to determine part of the victory points. The other part is made up of collected beer kegs and the money collected.
Heaven & Ale is a game for 2 - 4 master brewers aged 12 and over, which requires a lot of concentration and brain power over 60 - 90 minutes.
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Pegasus Games 54549G - Heaven & Ale: The Beer Coach... * |
Brass: Birmingham - Sell your beer
Admittedly, Brass: Birmingham doesn't have much to do with beer, because in this economic strategy game we build our own economic empire with many different industries. However, Brass: Birmingham is too good not to be included in this top list, it is not for nothing that this title is currently the 2nd best game on BoardGameGeek. After all, we can also decide to build breweries and sell beer.
As in the previous Brass: Lancashire, we build our industries and develop a network to produce and sell goods. Brass is set during the industrial revolution in the years 1770-1870 and is played in two halves. The first half represents the canal era (1770-1830) and the second half the railroad era (1830-1870). In each round, the players can carry out two out of six actions. For example, they can expand their industry, sell goods or take out loans. The end of the game with the highest number of victory points wins the game. Victory points are counted at the end of each era for the canals, railroads and established industries.
Brass: Birmingham is a challenging strategy game for 2-4 players and lasts around 60-120 minutes. It's not for nothing that this game is recommended for ages 14 and up, because you need good brains and tactical skills to master Brass.
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Roxley Games Brass Birmingham Board Games* |
91,20 EUR |
The taverns in the deep valley - let the beer flow freely!
End the evening in a cozy tavern with a beer. That sounds like a successful end to a hard day's work. In Die Tavernen im Tiefen Thal we are opening a tavern to enable our guests to complete this. However, you must first prove yourself against the other players and ensure that new, wealthy guests flock to your tavern.
To do this, you have to decide over eight rounds which dice you want to use which actions. For example, you can decide in any order to first serve a guest according to their wishes and receive money in the form of doubloons. You can then upgrade your tavern with the doubloons or hire a permanent employee.
Whoever was able to build the most lucrative tavern with the most victory points at the end of the approximately 60-minute serving wins and can call himself the boss of Tiefenthal. It is nice that each of the 2 - 4 players can set the level of difficulty themselves due to the five included modules. For example, schnapps is a new drink or you already have a good reputation among the citizens of Tiefenthal from the start.
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Schmidt Spiele 49351 The taverns in the deep valley, strategy game,... * |
24,99 EUR |
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Schmidt Spiele 49391 The taverns, inn of Tiefen Thal, 1.... * | 26,23 EUR |
Oktoberfest - And let's celebrate!
The last game should of course be Oktoberfest by Rio Grande Games itself, appropriate to the occasion of this top list. The folk festival, which initially took place on the occasion of the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese, has been celebrated annually since 1810. In the game of the same name, the players are beer merchants who compete over six types of beer and deliver them to the marquees in order to earn the most money.
In the game, a day at the Oktoberfest is played, which is divided into three phases: morning, afternoon and evening. During these phases we can decide to bid on beers, sell kegs or close a marquee. If the marquee is closed, the players must reach the majority of visitors in the tents. The active end of the game then decides which tent is to be closed and thus scored. Problem, only the type of beer that is last in the tent gets all the victory points for the tent.
The Oktoberfest can be supplied with beer in 90 minutes by 3 - 5 beer dealers aged 14 and over.
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