Come one, come all - master brewers, aspiring beer connoisseurs, and sim management maestros. There’s more than enough quality beer on tap for everyone to find something to love about Fiz: The Brewery Management Game.

If you’re not familiar with Fiz, your goal is to rise from the humble beginnings of your garage, brewing your way to the top, all while seeking that elusive perfect batch of beer. However, it’s not quite as simple as churning out keg after keg, hoping to make a few quick bucks in the process. Strategy and forethought are required before you can ascend the throne and be crowned the ultimate beer king.

In Issue 1 of Grab It Magazine we reviewed Fiz, calling it a fun yet challenging sim management game. To help you succeed in Fiz, Grab It Magazine has put together its Top 10 Tips.

Of course, don’t forget to grab Fiz right here.

Top 10 Tips

1. Invest in market research

This is the most important tip for success in Fiz. As you unlock new marketplaces, you’ll have access to more customers. However, it’s not as simple as churning out their beer of choice and slapping an exorbitant price tag on it. You’ll have to take into account customer’s budgets, competitor’s strategies and beer quality. The only way to get this understanding is to invest in market research. Do this often, as customer’s preferences, budgets and competitor’s strategies change.

2. Only unlock necessary beer recipes

Part of the excitement of Fiz is unlocking new beer recipes. These come about naturally, such as by completing challenges. There are over 70 recipes to discover, and your natural instinct will be to purchase as many of these recipes as possible. However, this is not the wisest use of your money. New recipes are often expensive, and the more exotic beer styles will likely not be in demand at the local watering holes. This means you will have exciting beer styles to brew, but no one to buy it. Early on in the game, only unlock those recipes you actually need, such as your standard lagers and IPAs. When you begin to amass piles of money, feel free to experiment.

3. Be repetitive

In sim management games like Fiz, it may feel like you’re not getting the most out of the game by continually churning out the same product. But in Fiz it will often be to your advantage to brew the same recipe multiple times in a row. At any particular marketplace, a competitor may not be stocking customers’ beer of choice. Take advantage of this before they restock. Brew that recipe multiple times and reap the rewards. This is not a boring strategy, just smart business.

4. Maintain a buffer of money

Don’t feel the need to spend every cent you have on beer recipes and upgrading equipment. It’s wise to keep a buffer of money, especially early on in the game, just in case that beer you stocked doesn’t move off the shelf.

5. Experiment with the sale price

When sending a beer to market, it can be tempting to set the sale price below customers’ average budget expenditure. Typically, this will ensure your beer sells quickly. But experiment with the sale price. Look at the other factors affecting your sales. Do competitors have comparable beers in stock? How many customers patronise the marketplace each month? What is the shelf life of your beer? It can be advantageous to set your sale price higher than the average budget, and turn a tidy profit. But if you don’t get it right, be prepared for your beer to be passed over by customers.

6. Upgrade your equipment

If you have some spare money, consider upgrading your brewing equipment. These upgrades are extremely helpful, especially when you max them out. All upgrades offer helpful boosts, so tailor a strategy to suit your own playstyle. I initially invested in increasing the shelf life of my brews, then turned to increasing my brew yield.

7. Hire new staff

As your little pixelated doppelgangers gain experience, they will become formidable beer barons. Accordingly, it can be tempting to keep them employed in your service. But, as you progress in Fiz, you gradually unlock new characters. These characters will often have maximum attributes that exceed your current staff members. Invest in the long term viability of your business by hiring these new characters, even though you will take a short term hit to their brewing stats. In any case, having a ninja brew beer for you is pretty cool.

8. Unlock lucrative marketplaces

Some marketplaces only open for a few months of the year. Although this sounds like more trouble than it’s worth, you can turn very tidy profits at these places. They do require some planning – you will need to invest in market research (even up to a year early) and it may be helpful to have beer in storage ready to go. But once you send your beer to the shelf, the average customer budget is typically very high with fairly limited competition.

9. Catch those mice

It’s a good thing the health inspectors don’t stop by, because your garage is full of mice. This may seem like an odd tip, but make sure you catch them all. Catching mice can reward you with a small, but steady, flow of money. Occasionally, mice will also drop scraps of beer recipes. Once you find three scraps from the same recipe, it will be unlocked for you to brew.

10. Do the challenges

Along the way, various challenges and events will become available. These range from entering into brewing competitions to providing customers with a specific type of beer. Often, these challenges will only be available for a short period of time. As is usually the case, they also appear right when you’re in the middle of doing something else. It’s worth dropping everything to do these challenges. Successfully completing a challenge will often net you a tidy reward and unlock new recipes or abilities to use in-game.

We hope these tips and tricks fare you well in Fiz. Now hop to it (pun intended). There’s a bunch of thirsty pixelated people out there! Make sure you grab the game here.

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