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[haopengyou]

I know that the UAE and many parts of the Middle East are dry. Would it be OK to brew my own beer in my own home for my own consumption?

[johnslat]

Dear haopengyou,
Lots of people did (and, I'm sure, still do) it in Saudi Arabia. Some do beer; others do wine (of a sort); and I knew one who had has own copper still all set up and running.
As you long as keep it at home, don't go out boozed, and don't spread the word around you should be OK. And I'm sure the UAE is more :tolerant" of such hobbies than the KSA.
Regards,
John

[smedini]

Hi all

I'm not in the Emirates yet so someone more educated on the subject than I might want to step in and correct me here, but...dry? I didn't think the Emirates were 'dry'. In fact, I thought there were liquor stores in several locations and that non-Muslim westerners could get liquor licenses in order to purchase treats at such venues.

Hmm...if things are dry, I may have to rethink my coming over (kidding of course!)

~smedini

[johnslat]

Yup, you can buy it there - but again - don't take it to the streets:

"Despite what some people may think, alcohol is relatively freely available in Dubai (a very stark contrast to Saudi Arabia). Almost all 4 and 5 star hotels have restaurants and or bars where alcohol is served, and many sports clubs have restaurant and bar facilities for example the Aviation Club, the Country Club.

Nightlife in Dubai

Restaurants, bars and nightclubs in Dubai have improved significantly since around 2000 and compare well to most big cities around the world although licensing laws mean that clubs close at 3 am. It's not quite Ibiza, London, Amsterdam, New York, or Berlin, but Gordon Ramsey now has a restaurant here and you'll find top DJs playing in Dubai on a regular basis - Paul Oakenfold did a New Year bash at the end of 2006 for example.

Duty Free

Arriving tourists (and expats) can buy alcohol at Dubai Duty Free after passport control. There are the usual limits but it seems that customs are relatively tolerant as long as what you bring is not excessive. Expat residents of Dubai and the UAE should probably have a licence but it seems it's never asked for at customs. Muslims are not supposed to bring alcohol in to the country.

Don't bring drugs, and check your medicine bag for banned substances (people have ended up in jail for bringing in codeine for example). Here's a more detailed list of Dubai duty free allowances. And on a similar topic, don't bring drugs to Dubai.

Where to buy alcohol in Dubai and the UAE

A&E (African & Eastern) and MMI (Maritime Mecantile International) are the two companies in Dubai with bottle shops. Usually next to Spinneys or Choithrams/Choitrams supermarkets. Window displays do not exist. You will have to present your alcohol license (or possibly one from your spouse - check with the shop first on the procedure for making that possible) to buy alcohol. Using a friend's license is no longer possible. The Dubai shops usually stay open during Ramadan but check with the shop for opening hours - may vary between branches.

A&E and MMI also have shops in other emirates including Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain.

Umm Al Quwain also has a couple more shops in town, next to hotels.

Ajman has a bottle shop / 'hole in the wall' near the Kempinksi Hotel where you can also make alcohol purchases. Closer to Dubai but range and prices not as good as Barracuda.

The Sharjah booze souk has been closed since 1996.

The Barracuda Umm Al Quwain

The Barracuda (not baracuda) Beach Resort next to Dreamland Water Park on the main coastal road to Ras Al Khaimah after the Um Al Quwain turnoff is a well known liquor store where you can purchase alcohol. It's possible, and common, but illegal to buy alcohol there without a license. Main shop is open 0800 to midnight, there is also a 24 hour window around the back. Closed during Ramadan (closes a day or two before Ramadan starts) - and is very busy in the week before Ramadan. Good range of wines and spirits including a fine selection of single malt whisky from Scotland. To get there, drive up the new Emirates Road towards RAK, take the Dreamland (signposted) exit, turn right when you get to the coast road T-junction, do a U-turn when you get to Dreamland (just after the Umm Al Quwain airstrip - a large white plane is permanently parked there).

Drinking and Being Drunk in Public

Don't. It's illegal and if you get caught it's taken fairly seriously. Having said that, beer with your BBQ down on the beach seems to be ok if imbibed discretely. However, there are signs on most beaches saying that fires are not permitted - you may or may not get away with having a BBQ depending on how busy the beach is and how far out of Dubai you are.

People who are obviously drunk in public run the risk of being escorted to alternative accommodation for the rest of the evening by the local constabulary. It doesn't end there either. Prison sentences and deportation are available for those wobbling about under the influence in public. If you do get sloshed and pour yourself into a taxicab, be polite to your taxi driver - it has been known for argumentative passengers to find themselves ferried to the Police Station by understandably annoyed taxi drivers.

Even if you're not obviously drunk, don't hang around too much - there are stories around of people randomly being picked up by the police in the early hours outside bars/hotels for being drunk. One drink is probably enough to put you in that category under UAE laws."

http://www.dubaifaqs.com/alcohol-licence.php

[veiledsentiments]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

[adorabilly]

Sharajah is DRY, but to the best of my knowledge the other emirates are not.

I know in RAK we have 2 good liquor stores (they are comparable to anything I could go to in the states, and better than some). And at least 4 resturants which serve alcohol.

You are supposed to have a license, but if you are an Anglo saxon, they don't card you and dont' care. (of course they don't card the emirati's in their cars outside either).

So the UAE is not dry. Just don't make a public nusiance of yourself and it should be fine.

Now if you like to brew at home, then by all means do so.

[helenl]

As a point of interest, there is one place in Sharjah where you can go and have a drink, the Wanderer's. Apparently it's a plot of land given to the Brits way back when. However, usually you need to be a member or a friend of a member and I've always found the service and ambience to be less than desirable. If you're a homesick UK expat you may be able to tolerate it but I find it a bit depressing.

That said, I've never been a member but I've never been refused entry - being a white Westerner does have its "perks" in Sharjah

[anaxiforminges]

helenl. your description conveys my feelings on a certain expat club in Gibraltar:

Dark, dank, with a faint whiff of old beer and stale chips in the air. On the wall, old mementos of the glory days of the club, black & white photos of once-"famous" patrons long dead. By the bar counter one can usually spot two or three bedraggled Brits sousing themselves silly in the dead heat of 2:00 p.m. while watching a football game on the telly...

[ckhl]

If you are resident in Sharjah you can get a liquor license to purchase outside the emirate for home consumption. Most don't do this because Ajman and Umm al Qawain, which don't require a license for purchase, are just down the road. Don't get pulled over and searched on your way back, though. There always is that risk. Maybe they'd let you go if you're nice and, above all, apologetic, but you never know.

[carlen]

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[MrScaramanga]

Even though the UAE is not a dry country, the law is crystal clear. If you are a resident of the UAE and you don't have a liquor licence, it is ILLEGAL to:

- buy alcohol
- consume alcohol at home and even at a hotel restaurant
- transport alcohol

If you have a liquor licence, you can all of do the above, provided you are discreet about it. However, even if you hold a liquor licence, it is still ILLEGAL to drive with the tiniest amount of alcohol in your blood. If you are in a car accident, the first thing the police does is to do an alcohol test, wether you appear intoxicated or not. If alcohol shows in the test results, you will be put in jail immediately.

And another thing about car accidents: if you are in car accident in the Gulf region, the law is such that if the other party involved in the wreck is injured and is taken to the hospital, you will be taken to jail, if you are not also injured, and this even if the accident is the other party's fault. You will not be released from jail until the other party has left the hospital.

Get a liquor licence, don't drink at all if you drive, and don't get out of your car first if you're in a wreck!

MrS

[carlen]

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[anaxiforminges]

[seven seas]

that's some good advice....