If you are one of the many millions of people who actively play of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you may have seen long-time fans begging to have one specific NPC make an appearance: Brewster, the coffee-slinging pigeon. Well, as the title of this article suggests, players’ pleas and cries for Brewster have finally been answered!
Why does this matter, you might wonder? If you ask me, it matters a whole lot. Brewster the coffee pigeon isn’t a new character; he’s been with the series since Animal Crossing: Wild World’s 2005 DS debut. Brewster is a full-fledged coffee aficionado whose reverence for the good stuff dates back to the earliest days of third wave, a simple pigeon dedicated to serving up delicious bean juice without the fluff. Brewster owned his cafe in the game’s museum for the majority of previous installations, but it became quickly apparent that he and his carefully calculated coffee program was missing from the franchise’s latest game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Since the game’s release, Brewster has been a hot topic on social media. Whether players were lamenting over missing the blue ground dove or taking matters into their own hands and creating their own island cafes, it was clear that having a cafe to visit was vital. So it didn’t come as a surprise when players freaked out (in a good way) when the latest 2.0 update announced that Brewster would be setting up shop inside the museum. The update set for November 5th came two days early—the best gift Nintendo could have given us (except for more information on Breath of the Wild 2, of course). The free update also came with a ton of new items and quality-of-life features that sucked me back into playing on a daily basis. And grabbing a cup of coffee from the Roost (lol) has quickly become part of that routine.
In a way, Brewster’s existence and addition to ACNH help legitimize coffee’s presence in video games. Obviously, there are quite a few games centered around coffee, but to be a part of a mainstream game feels like a win in my book. It truly shows how much of our lives are centered around a delicious cup of coffee, so much so that we make our avatars drink it, brewed meticulously by a trusty pigeon with a steady hand, er, wing.
But in true Animal Crossing fashion, it’s not as simple as updating your game—and poof—Brewster appears. There is a little bit of work involved. Want to find out how to drink Brewster’s famous coffee? Keep reading!
The Search For Brewster
If you already updated your game, congratulations, you’ve completed the first step. If you want Brewster and his coffee shop to appear, there are a few steps to check off before you can sit back and drink pixelated pour-overs.
Once you log in, run—don’t walk—to your island’s museum and talk to Blathers. He will tell you about his good pal, Brewster, who has been traveling islands in search of gyroids, music-making NPCs slash furniture pieces (which are just as odd as they sound, but the series wouldn’t be the same without them) Blathers wants Brewster to join the museum to serve coffee to residents and guests and asks for your help. He’ll hand you a portrait of the pigeon and send you on your merry way.
Your next step will be to find another familiar character in the series named Kapp’n. He also joins ACNH thanks to the update and can be found docked off your island’s pier. Kapp’n will take you to a mysterious island, much like Dodo Airlines, for 1,000 Nook miles. After paying through your in-game phone, you will set off with Kapp’n in search of Brewster.
Luckily, this is a simple process as Brewster can be found roaming the first island you visit. When you talk to him, he will agree to come to your island if you can grow gyroids. Once he hands you a gyroid fragment, head back to Kapp’n to return to your island. Dig a hole and bury the gyroid fragment (don’t forget to water it) to make it grow into a complete gyroid. Gyroids take a day to grow, so come back the next day, or time-hop, and dig it up. Once placing it, it will begin to make percussion-like noises, which are more fun to discover than actually important to the process.
After setting your gyroid on display, talk to Blathers again. This will initiate the actual cafe build. The museum will be closed for a full day, but the next day your museum will house the Roost and Brewster can be found cleaning coffee cups behind the bar.
Animal Crossing’s Hottest Cafe: The Roost
Congratulations! You finally have a place you can officially sip on coffee in Animal Crossing. This is the perfect spot to hang out with villagers, special NPCs, and even friends.
Take a seat at the bar, and Brewster will simply tell you “coffee is 200 bells.” Placing an order will show a short animation sequence of Brewster grabbing you a clean mug and pouring you a black coffee. The more you frequent the Roost, Brewster will begin to warm up to you and offer you recipes, like a Roost Sablé Cookie, coffee-to-go, or on occasion “pigeon milk” (just go with it). With more visits, he may even offer up some new coffee equipment. Animal Crossing is all about connecting with friends, so you’re given the option to invite amiibo characters or have up to seven pals join you for a cup. If anyone is short on bells, Brewster will happily offer up a glass of water.
The Roost reminds me a lot of why I love visiting cafes in the real world: it’s a ritual, a place of comfort. One where I can sit back, relax, and listen to the calming music and buzzy chatter in the background. Just be careful—”Too much coffee can mess with you,” warns Brewster. I’m already on cup 10 of pixelated hot bean water.
Brianna Fox-Priest is a freelance journalist in Oklahoma City covering coffee and video games, and the co-host of Bits & Pixels. Read more Brianna Fox-Priest on Sprudge.
