UAE opens first brewery in Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has opened its first brewery in Abu Dhabi, marking a new step in the Gulf state’s relaxation of laws surrounding the sale, consumption, and now production of alcohol.

According to local media reports, the brewery – named Craft by Side Hustle – was opened on Saturday at Abu Dhabi’s Galleria Al Maryah Island mall, consisting of a gastropub and a microbrewery facilitating the production of alcoholic beverages.

Reports quoted Chad McGehee, a co-founder of Side Hustle Brews and Spirits, as stating that “As founders of the local craft movement, we acknowledge the responsibility presented to us and are both humbled and thrilled to open Abu Dhabi’s first craft microbrewery”. He further assured that “We commit to delivering innovative and authentic [food and beverage] experiences worthy of the UAE’s high standards”.

The opening of the UAE’s first brewery falls under a legislative change implemented in Abu Dhabi in 2021, allowing holders of an alcohol licence to ferment alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption. It comes after decades of restrictions on alcohol production across the Emirates, with different ones exercising various levels of prohibition.

Dubai has most often been identified as the most open emirate among them in terms of alcohol consumption and sales, with the emirate dropping in January a 30 percent tax on alcohol sales, in what was an apparent effort to further appeal to Western and international tourists and expatriates.

Out of all the emirates, Sharjah is reportedly the strictest regarding laws surrounding alcohol, and maintains a complete ban on even the consumption of alcohol.

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