The Belgian Beers Race

The Belgian Beers Race is one of those purchases that wins you over immediately as an idea: a three-day race around Belgium, trying to drink as many beers as possible and visit as many breweries as you can. It is a super-thematic indie game, and it is clear that work has gone into turning this slightly chaotic, very appealing travel fantasy into an actual board game.

At its core, it is a bare-bones push-your-luck racing game. You are trying to advance in the race without overdoing it, while the main tension comes from how much you are willing to risk in order to squeeze more stops and more beer into those three days.

There is also a touch of set collection on top of that, since the visits and beers are not merely thematic decoration but part of what you are pursuing during the game. Player interaction seems to come mostly through the race itself and everyone trying to make the best route, rather than because the game wants to become a tightly constructed euro.

We were not blown away, but it definitely did not disappoint us either. I think we will play it again, especially with people looking for a bit of a laugh and trying it for the first time—on a trip, for example, it would fit like a glove. But if you are expecting an orderly euro with mechanisms that lock together beautifully, you are better off spending your money on a crate of Leffe.