abu dhabi: Opened in 2018 by Chad McGehee Sideline Beer and SpiritsAbu Dhabi brand brewery There’s also a distillery with a funky camel print on the can and a fun name that will be familiar to anyone living in the United Arab Emirates.
The only problem is that it’s illegal to produce alcohol in the country, so his company makes hopped India Pale Ale in the United States and then imports it to the United States. United Arab Emirates sell.
As Abu Dhabi overhauls laws to allow micro and craft brewery The booze has taken the rest of the world by storm, part of a broader reconsideration of alcohol policy in the Islamic country and increasingly attracting tourists. McGehee’s dream of launching an IPA in the Arabian Peninsula became a reality, although it took hard work as they were the first to open.
“The government has regulations on fermentation, but the steps to get a license, the steps to inspect, all of that is not on paper yet. So, as we go through this process, those regulations have to be put in place,” said one recent afternoon. McGeeh said at his brewpub on Al Maria Island in Abu Dhabi.
People living in the Emirates have long considered Abu Dhabi to be more conservative than the rowdy neighboring emirate of Dubai, which is home to nightclubs, beach bars and pubs that draw tourists and residents alike to drink. Of the UAE’s seven emirates, Sharjah joins neighboring Saudi Arabia, Iran and Kuwait in having a complete ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol.
But starting in 2020, Abu Dhabi changed its policy. It scrapped a licensing system for drinkers to buy alcohol to boost sales and tourism during the coronavirus pandemic. Eliminate licenses to allow Muslims to drink alcohol if they wish, and decriminalize the possession of alcohol by those without a license.
“I take the progress of this country for granted, they’re always pushing things forward,” said Nadeem Selbak, one of the partners at Side Hustle’s brewpub Craft.
Emirates still maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy against drunk driving and public drunkenness. Islam also considers drinking alcohol to be “haram” or forbidden.
But alcohol sales have long been a major driver of tax revenue and money in the UAE. For example, Dubai Duty Free sold 6 million cans of beer, 3.8 million bottles of spirits and 2.3 million bottles of whiskey to thirsty travelers last year.
But despite the demand, there is no locally available equipment to open a brewery in the UAE.McGee ended up importing almost everything for the brewery, almost all from the United States
Abu Dhabi represents a completely untapped market for Side Hustle.
“The idea for me is like going back in time, to when I first started the business about 20 years ago,” said Mitchell Dougherty, Side Hustle’s brewmaster.
Craft has 14 beers on tap at any time. So far this year, they’ve brewed 34, with a goal of reaching 100 by the end of the year. The beers have names that evoke life in the Emirates, including one called Massage Card Ninja – a nod to the business cards of scantily clad women that appear under car windshield wipers in some neighborhoods in Dubai.
McGehee said the different types of beer include ingredients from the Czech Republic, the UK, Japan and the US, covering a variety of tastes for international customers.
“If you look at Abu Dhabi, there are people from almost 200 countries here,” he said. “They all have their own definition of what a beer is, what a craft beer is, what a lager is, what an IPA is, so we’re trying to cater to as many people as possible.”
The only problem is that it’s illegal to produce alcohol in the country, so his company makes hopped India Pale Ale in the United States and then imports it to the United States. United Arab Emirates sell.
As Abu Dhabi overhauls laws to allow micro and craft brewery The booze has taken the rest of the world by storm, part of a broader reconsideration of alcohol policy in the Islamic country and increasingly attracting tourists. McGehee’s dream of launching an IPA in the Arabian Peninsula became a reality, although it took hard work as they were the first to open.
“The government has regulations on fermentation, but the steps to get a license, the steps to inspect, all of that is not on paper yet. So, as we go through this process, those regulations have to be put in place,” said one recent afternoon. McGeeh said at his brewpub on Al Maria Island in Abu Dhabi.
People living in the Emirates have long considered Abu Dhabi to be more conservative than the rowdy neighboring emirate of Dubai, which is home to nightclubs, beach bars and pubs that draw tourists and residents alike to drink. Of the UAE’s seven emirates, Sharjah joins neighboring Saudi Arabia, Iran and Kuwait in having a complete ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol.
But starting in 2020, Abu Dhabi changed its policy. It scrapped a licensing system for drinkers to buy alcohol to boost sales and tourism during the coronavirus pandemic. Eliminate licenses to allow Muslims to drink alcohol if they wish, and decriminalize the possession of alcohol by those without a license.
“I take the progress of this country for granted, they’re always pushing things forward,” said Nadeem Selbak, one of the partners at Side Hustle’s brewpub Craft.
Emirates still maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy against drunk driving and public drunkenness. Islam also considers drinking alcohol to be “haram” or forbidden.
But alcohol sales have long been a major driver of tax revenue and money in the UAE. For example, Dubai Duty Free sold 6 million cans of beer, 3.8 million bottles of spirits and 2.3 million bottles of whiskey to thirsty travelers last year.
But despite the demand, there is no locally available equipment to open a brewery in the UAE.McGee ended up importing almost everything for the brewery, almost all from the United States
Abu Dhabi represents a completely untapped market for Side Hustle.
“The idea for me is like going back in time, to when I first started the business about 20 years ago,” said Mitchell Dougherty, Side Hustle’s brewmaster.
Craft has 14 beers on tap at any time. So far this year, they’ve brewed 34, with a goal of reaching 100 by the end of the year. The beers have names that evoke life in the Emirates, including one called Massage Card Ninja – a nod to the business cards of scantily clad women that appear under car windshield wipers in some neighborhoods in Dubai.
McGehee said the different types of beer include ingredients from the Czech Republic, the UK, Japan and the US, covering a variety of tastes for international customers.
“If you look at Abu Dhabi, there are people from almost 200 countries here,” he said. “They all have their own definition of what a beer is, what a craft beer is, what a lager is, what an IPA is, so we’re trying to cater to as many people as possible.”
