Enigmik: The Brewery (Barcelona) 

A Great CollaBEERation

La Cervecería: An Escape Room with the collaboration of Estrella Damm

Whether you are a beer lover or not, Mr. Josep, our Estrella Damm brewmaster , will be waiting for you.

A very special beer tasting where anything can happen. Enter a world of intrigue and mystery, full of enigmas and where teamwork will be essential.

We use a number of resources to plan our escape room trips, but the starting point, particularly for games abroad, always seems to be the TERPECA rankings. The Brewery first appeared on the list when it opened in 2019, coming in at #33 that year. In 2020 it then climbed to its highest position at #11, and though it has steadily declined since then, just missing the Top 100 in 2024, it’s safe to say that this game has been on our list to try for quite some time now.

Escape Rooms present the perfect opportunity for an interactive marketing campaign, and when it’s done right, well, it can be very effective. Conveniently situated just a two minute walk from the Estrella Damm Old Brewery, Enigmik provided the perfect opportunity for a collaboration between the two. As we approached Enigmik, it was impossible to miss the logo of Estrella Damm just down the street, fully selling the idea that we were arriving for a proper tasting and tour, and not just an escape room as we rang the bell and waited for our appointment.

Precisely on time, the door opened and we were warmly welcomed by Raquelle, our host (and GM)  for our visit to The Brewery. We gathered around to listen as Raquelle gave us the lowdown on our visit, and also equipped us with the necessary equipment (a mobile phone to communicate with our guide) for our time in the Brewery, and assigned us specific roles within the team.

With our roles assigned, and our guide in hand, it was time. Raquelle led us through to the tap room, where we waited for Mr Josep, the master brewer at Estrella Damm, to join us and begin our tour. Of course, when he did arrive, we learned we were in for a whole lot more than just a simple tour and beer tasting, and our adventure began.

IMMERSION/ROOM DESIGN

There’s no denying it; the set of The Brewery is beautiful. Despite its age (six years old at the time of this review), it is clear that it is lovingly cared for, and it looks like it could have been built yesterday. The distinct spaces were all expertly designed to take you on a journey, and who knew brewing a beer could feel so adventurous? But it did. If the film ‘National Treasure’ had been about beer, the latter half of the movie would probably have had a similar feeling to The Brewery.

The game is perfectly designed for teams of four to six, with a semi-linear structure, and loads of complex, multi-layered puzzles that ensure no one in the team is left twiddling their thumbs. While it’s light on narrative, there is a story that unfolds around you as you uncover the secrets of the Brewery, allowing the game to build in intensity as the finale approaches, before culminating in the most delicious of conclusions.

PUZZLES

I love a game where the puzzles fit so seamlessly into the mission and the narrative that they don’t even really feel like puzzles. And that’s exactly what it felt like in The Brewery. Teamwork was essential, and in fact, was even worked into the narrative with specific tasks designated to specific team members, ensuring everyone took part in the overall mission. But other challenges that weren’t required to be completed by a specific person often still required at least two players, and in more than one instance, the entire team, to complete them successfully.

Whatever the type of task we were completing, whether it was a tactile challenge, a test of maths or logic, or even just taking note of our surroundings, the challenges we encountered were perfectly entwined with, and evolved naturally out of the world we were immersed in. The subtle, but clear signposting throughout the game also helped the puzzles to feel totally diegetic (our new favourite word at Review the Room).

GM/CLUE SYSTEM

Mr. Josep was with us every step of the way for our adventure in The Brewery, from his opening video introduction, right through to the conclusion. Had we needed any help along the way, Mr Josep would have sent a text message through to us, using the mobile phone that we were provided with once we were checked in for our “tour.”

Of course, we all know that Mr. Josep is just the mask, and the real master brewer was the lovely Raquelle, our host and GM. Raquelle was lovely, from her immersive greeting before handing us over to Mr. Josep, through to the finale, when we all got to rehash our experience with her, over a cold bottle of Estrella Damm, of course. We never actually needed any nudges or hints from “Mr. Josep,” but it was clear from our chat with Raquelle that if we had ever been truly stuck on something, we wouldn’t have had to wait for long, as she was paying very close attention to our progress.

ANYTHING ELSE

Oftentimes I find games that have been designed in collaboration with or to promote a specific thing, be it a brand or a film, the experience often falls a bit flat. However, The Brewery bucks that trend, and stands as a shining example of just how perfect a well done collaboration can be. Whilst the game has been around for a while now, it still holds up incredibly well, and is definitely worth making time for if you find yourself in Barcelona.

Success / Failure

Final Rating:

Team: 4 players

Address: Rosselló 508, 08026 Barcelona

Website: https://www.enigmik.com/en/