The game could be about any product you like, and some versions of the game use
different stories. Early precursors of
the game, in the 1950s, did not specify a product but were inspired by heavy
manufacturing, e.g., for appliances. The
game took on the name “beer game” in 1973, motivated by the fact that “a
significant activity of the beer company is to
maintain the minimum amount of beer necessary to satisfy customer demand
reasonably quickly.” For a thorough history of
the beer game, see this
article.