Craft Beer in Dubai - Hop Fest & Beyond!
By Lindsay Trivers
August, 24 2017
We love Hop Fest, and it’s coming up soon! With Dubai’s year-round sunshine and hot, dry climate, enjoying a cold beer or two at this event is a must. Plus, we love having rare access to some of the trendiest and most celebrated craft beers from around the globe. The beers available to us are generally destined to be from one of the monolithic, big-name brands that dominate taps the world over. However, if you’re a true craft beer aficionado, and the idea of supping a commercial super-brand fills you with dread, all is not lost, as Dubai’s venues’ too are finally getting on board with the globe’s craft and artisan beer obsession.
So to help you sate that unquenchable, craft beer itch here’s a guide to some of the best places serving the good stuff in Dubai right now.
This newly opened beachfront venue on the Palm Jumeirah offers twenty-four, constantly changing craft taps from all over the world, alongside a solid selection of tasty pub grub. With a beautifully lit, red brick interior and a long bar with comfortable leather stools that look like they’ve leapt out of an episode of Cheers, it has a distinctly brewpub feel, whilst the peaceful beach terrace offers amazing views of the city skyline.
A popular hangout for Dubai locals wanting to avoid the glitzy hotel scene, this down to earth sports bar from the creators of Sum of Us and Common Grounds, has a well balanced list of internationally popular brands, combined with some wonderful word of mouth led craft drops. Unlike a lot of sports bars, Brunswick never tries to sugar coat it’s allegiance and features multiple screens and high-tech projectors showing every kind of sport imaginable, with a slight leaning perhaps toward anything Australia look likely to win.
Possessing quite possibly the largest selection of both beers and off-duty airline staff in the city, and a Friday brunch that’s euphemistically described as lively, Warehouse is the perfect spot if you like your bars bustling, and a terrible choice if you’re naturally indecisive when handed a drinks list. The location out toward the airport does take a little commitment, but the staff are friendly, the list decent and there’s a sizeable and shaded beer garden on offer, as well as a decent happy hour from 4-7, Saturday to Thursday.
It might not have the largest selection by any means, but there’s a lot to be said for a side order of ambience to go with your beer, and here you can enjoy one of their well thought out craft offerings at the leafy and green, pond-side location, or in the low-key strings of pubs. As if that’s not enough, this venue is the host of Hop Fest and were recently voted Time Out Dubai’s Pub of the Year 2017. It is of course an Irish bar, which tends to fall into two categories – awesome, or like something from a Celts cultural nightmare, but luckily this one is resolutely on the former end of the spectrum
Centred around a significant, oval shaped bar, this stylish gastro pub describes itself as a modern, London, East-End pub, which, as anyone who‘s ever lived there can tell you, is not necessarily a reassuring claim. Despite this the environment is stylish and relaxed, the staff knowledgeable and the beer list, whilst by no means huge, does offer some nice American craft IPA’s to go with soul satisfying bar food like ribs, mac and cheese balls, wings and fish and chips.
Want to know about the more unique beers available in Dubai, aside from where to drink it? Book a home tasting class or a home beer and food pairing experience with The Tasting Class.
