The Side Hustle Story
Imagine living in a country at the forefront of global economic change and modernization, a country that lives by the creed of ‘dream it, do it’, a country that has everything— except legitimate craft options and a brand to call its own. After many years in the United Arab Emirates, limited to drinking macro brews (and paying upwards of $15-$20 for a pint), the Side Hustle founders had enough! They knew there had to be a way to get real craft beer to this beautiful place.
In August of 2018, Side Hustle co-founder Chad was stuck in traffic on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai highway. He started thinking about a recent trip to the US and all of the fresh, craft beer styles with unique hop combinations he had tried. Chad began craving a juicy IPA and started looking for them across the local bottle shops— but what he found was shelves filled with mass-produced lagers and a few macro-owned crafty ales. The juicy IPA he craved was not available. His thirst prompted an idea…
Why not create craft beers and spirits for the UAE?
Sure, at the time, it was illegal to brew or distill in the country, but Chad was not deterred. In that moment, Side Hustle was born. The first batch of Sandstorm, a juicy, hazy double IPA created to match the hue of the Arabian desert, was brewed in January 2019.
Co-founders Chad, Wayne and Jeff rose to the challenge of bringing craft beverages to the UAE, thinking ‘why the hell not’? Our booze and brews are produced in the USA, but they’re made to complement the flavors and climate of the UAE, resulting in drinks that taste local in spite of being imported from across the globe.
All Side Hustle Brews & Spirits are handcrafted from seed to sip. From raising the highest quality crop on our Pennsylvania hop farm, to creating our liquids using modern equipment and techniques, every drop is handled with care. The Side Hustle team consists of world class brewers and distillers, all dedicated to the same mission: working hard and drinking better.