Beloved craft beer megabrand from Scotland makes its Dubai debut

Founded in 2007 with a mission to make delicious craft beer, BrewDog now has more than 100 pubs around the world and has finally landed in Dubai to splash their considerable cash on a giant temple of hops on Bluewaters Island.

Brewdog - exterior

Brewdog – exterior

It’s reported that BrewDog plan to open eight pubs in Dubai before 2030, and this ‘industrial chic’ outpost is the brand’s impressive Middle East debut. Announcing their arrival with a loud woof, BrewDog has elbowed its way into a prime corner plot on the promenade under Ain Dubai. Fronted with a huge blue neon sign, BrewDog sprawls across two floors and gives patrons superb views of the city from its terraces.

BREWDOG- Darts

BREWDOG – Darts

Visiting on a Wednesday night, we were greeted by a lively musical duo rattling through violin and guitar covers of pop hits. We suggest you keep moving however, past the augmented reality dartboards, to the more inviting bar upstairs and by ‘inviting’ we mean darker and quieter.

Flop into a squishy Chesterfield booth and browse the 11 brews on the Daily Draft menu, which has intriguing tasting notes such as milkshake, hazy and mango. Prices range from Dhs50 for 500ml of BrewDog’s crisp and clean Lost Lager to Dhs63 for 330ml of their cult Elvis Juice, a punchy grapefruit IPA.

Brewdog - food

There’s no standing on ceremony at BrewDog, service is swift yet friendly. This place is about delivering glasses of quality craft hops to thirsty guests and then letting them get on with it. For a 360 tour of the BrewDog universe, order a flight of any four beers for Dhs125 in stemmed glasses that measure a third of a pint. It may not be your most economical decision of the evening but it allows you to explore the variety of zingy flavours that have made BrewDog a global phenomenon. Putting our glasses down for a moment, BrewDog also does food. A quintet of sublime chicken wings (Dhs55) and a pizza named The Big Pastrami One (Dhs95) paired wonderfully with a pint of Punk IPA described as spiky, bitter and tropical in its tasting notes.

Following the likes of Tap House (Downtown, Palm, Dubai Hills) and Goose Island (JBR and JVC), BrewDog continues the city’s welcome trend for craft beer pubs that offer guests a wide range of hops far more interesting than the usual mainstream brands. Carry on like this, and BrewDog’s billionaire founders will continue to see the cash pour in.

BrewDog, Bluewaters Island, Sun to Thur 12pm to 12am, Fri and Sat 12pm to 2am. Tel: 052 956 5688. @brewdogbluewaters

WHAT’S ON Verdict: BrewDog is a tail-wagging addition to Dubai’s growing craft beer scene.

Words: Robert Chilton
Images: Supplied