“The first thing Germans often say when they see Assila is, ‘Arabs don’t drink’, which is just not true,” says the woman behind Berlin’s newest beer brand. (For safety reasons, she’s opted to remain anonymous for this interview.) It doesn’t help that the array of beer available in Berlin’s Spätis and supermarkets is usually German, Czech, Belgian, Spanish. This is what Assila, an independent manufacturer made with Berlin’s Arab population in mind, is out to change.
Originally from the Middle East, she and her business partner – also a woman – launched Assila, which bills itself as “The first AraBerliner beer”, last July. In doing so, she’s become not just the sole Arab brewer in Berlin but also one of a handful of women manufacturing beer in the capital. “The assumption that Arabs don’t drink is fascinating to me. There are 22 Arab countries, and only some of which are legally dry! It also reflects a deeper stereotype – that all Arabs are Muslim. It’s like saying all Europeans are Christians, and are alike.”
Germany may be the modern-day home of beer, but it actually originated in the Middle East, thousands of years ago. This fact isn’t really reflected in modern messaging, Assila’s founder says. “Beer itself was even first brewed in what is now Iraq and mass-produced in ancient Egypt before making its way to Europe,” she says. “Our beer honours these origins while embracing Berlin’s vibrant, diverse culture.”
We’re working with bars that reflect our core values; Arabic, community bars, and queer spaces
Sold in elaborately-designed bottles adorned with stars, Arabic lettering and bold yellow-and-red hues, Assila is a Helles lager, noteworthy for its bitter and mildly floral flavour. “Some people expected it to taste Arabic somehow, like with cardamon or something,” the booze entrepreneur explains. “But most Arab nations have their own beer brands – like Farida in Iraq, or Tango in Algeria – and they’re also just normal lagers.”
The idea to start producing her own line of beer came after doing a brewing course at Flessa Bräu, an independent microbrewery in Friedrichshain. Led by Christoph Flessa – the brewery’s founder – the course highlighted their independent spirit when it came to making beers. “I admired his traditional approach and realised that we both shared the same values,” says Assila’s founder. After striking up a conversation, the two started to work together to bring an Arabic beer to the Berlin market, using the facilities and know-how provided by the brewery, and Assila was born.
The beer’s name comes from the Arabic word for authenticity. For the team behind it, this was one of the key reasons for making their own beer. “We’re putting it out there because we’re craving authentic representation,” she says. “Through this brand, I want to offer a more truthful representation of Arabs like me.” (The founder is herself a big beer lover.) “Our audience connects with Assila not just because of the beer, but because of the messaging. They finally have a product in Germany that represents them – their values, their creativity, their aspirations.”
Germany may be the modern-day home of beer, but it actually originated in the Middle East, thousands of years ago
The drive to build her own brew was also a consequence of our current political moment. “Assila was not born out of a vacuum, it emerged in a tense moment for the Arab community,” she says, citing the conflict in Gaza and the rising anti-immigration rhetoric adopted by many of Germany’s leading politicians.
In Berlin, as of December 2023, roughly 5% of the city’s population was of Arab descent. “I was deeply struck by the generalisations that exposed a real ‘clash of ignorance’. A lot of people see Arabs here as refugees, or people who work at kebab shops, and they’re more than that. The young Arab generation in Germany are third-culture kids. They are interesting, accomplished, creative, fun, dreamy and opinionated – just like Assila.”
Assila and its team want to do more than challenge stereotypes, though. In addition to creating something that Berliners can relate to, their goal is also to help foster communities. When talking about the beer, she describes it as a “cultural lubricant” helping to bring people together – something that beer has been very good at doing over time.
To help further her mission, the brand runs an event series called Assila Nights, hosting talks with tax experts and bringing in therapists to impart personal advice. “We want to address real, pressing issues that matter to our community, over a beer, in a great location.” (Ringbar, in Neukölln.) She also runs female-focused events and parties, partnering up with independent radio station Refuge Worldwide for a special International Woman’s Day live recording titled ‘Femme & Fermented’, and “modeling on the bar runway” at Berlin Fashion Week.
Along with being the only Arab-brewed beer in Berlin (and possibly Germany), the tipple also stands out because its leader is a woman. “You know, the first person ever referenced in beer making was a woman – the [Mesopotamian] goddess Ninkasi,” Assila’s founder claims. The issue of gender imbalance within the brewing community often comes up in Berlin, though it’s a disparity that’s slowly shifting; one of the city’s most renowned brewers is Schneeeule’s founder, Ulrike Genz, and Vagabund brewery also collaborated with Austrian feminist craft beer brand Muschikraft to produce The Most Illegal Beer, a project that highlights the massive gender inequalities in the brewing business.
Today, Assila has produced over 6,500 bottles of their beer, and are available in 14 venues throughout the city, including Oona and K-Fetisch, with the number of stockists growing. “We’re working mainly with bars that reflect our core values; Arabic, community bars, and queer spaces,” the founder says. In the future, Assila looks to expand to include a non-alcoholic variety, and even merchandise. “Assila is more than just a beer, you know,” she adds. “It’s a movement, and we’re brewing a community.”
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