Pakistan’s only brewery

Here’s an interesting article about Pakistan’s only brewery, the Murree Brewery:

The Murree Brewery, established in 1861 to slake the thirst of British soldiers across the Indian subcontinent, lost much of its market when Pakistan won independence nearly 60 years ago, but it still prospers as the Islamic country’s only licensed beer-maker.

Despite a law that bars Muslims – about 97 per cent of Pakistan’s 150 million people – from drinking alcohol, business is brisk.

The brewery ostensibly caters to the country’s small communities of Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Parsees and foreigners. In reality, much of its output supplies a black market for illicit drinkers.

It’s not as extreme as Palestine’s first brewery, but it’s along similar lines.

They brew more than just beer at the Murree Brewery, too; along with the first article above, I found this article (more of a press release, really) about their new 18-year-old malt whiskey and how they’re looking for a name for it.