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Beer in Morocco

Speciale Flag, a beer produced and sold by Brassieres du Maroc with a 5.2% alcohol content.

Beer in Morocco is produced and sold on the alcohol market along with other wines and spirits. The French colonisation of Morocco led to introduction of beer and beer production in the early 20th century. Some of the well known beers include Casablanca, Stork and Special Flag.

History of Beer in Morocco

Beer was introduced in Morocco through the colonisation of the French. Unlike the European colonisation of countries such as North America and South Africa which led to do the “enfeeblement and debauchery of alcohol”, it wasn’t introduced as intensely as other settler colonies. The production of beer in Morocco had begun with the first brewery that was in the country called Société des Brasseries du Maroc. The company owned by the French. It is was the biggest breweries in Africa region as it has gained a “monopolistic” position in the alcohol market. The company owned by the French. The French colonisation of Morocco led the country to be influenced by French cuisine and culture. The colonisation period that lasted between 1912-1956 saw the introduction of the beer in the early 20th century. Beer before it was introduced was not a popular drink within the communities. Moroccan popular drinks are Mint Tea or Coffee. Morocco has a café culture Société des Brasseries also known as Brasseries du Maroc started in 1919, 7 years in after the French colonised Morocco. In 1980 they signed with Heineken thus leading it to become one of the best-selling international beers in Morocco. Brasseries du Maroc produce local beers, licensed beers and non-alcoholic beers. They describe their production and manufacturing that of which is “The best qualities of barley, malt and hops are imported, transported and processed in ultra-modern production units”. Local beers produced by Brasseries du Maroc include Casablanca Beer and Stork. Their Pan-African beers include Special Flag, Flag Pils, 33 Export. Beers that are produced under license is the Dutch beer Heineken. They also manufacture Non-alcoholic beers including Flag and Crown. The type of beers they produce is mostly European pale lager. The alcohol percentages ranges from beers such as Casablanca being 5%, Stork being 4.7 % and Flag Special being 5.2%. A study from the Brewery saw that Morocco generates a significant amount of waste. The study focused on fish waste mixed with yeast rejected from the brewery to see if would mature enough to be a biofertilizer. In Morocco one the biggest cereal crops that are grown is Barley along with others such as wheats, corn, oats, rice, sorghum, millet, rye and canary grass. Barley's production is the biggest than all of the other wheats. Barley is grown in low rainfall environment, it is used by farmers as a "fill in" crop when other wheats have no chance of growing. Impoverished farmers are usually the growers of barley as the conditions are extreme and poor. In Morocco, barley is grown not only for human consumption and feeding animals but is used significantly for beer manufacture.Beers are available all year round.

Beers in Morocco

Beer	Alcohol %
"33" Export	5.2
Casablanca Beer	5
Cerveza Reserva (Mercadona)	7.2
Crown	0
Doble Malta (Mercadona)	7.4
Flag Pils	4.7
Flag Special	5.2
Flag Special Gold	5.2
Pelforth Ambree	7.2
Stock Premeire	4.7

Alcohol laws in Morocco  

Morocco is a Muslim country. Within the religion of Islam, drinking alcohol is that of forbidden. Morocco unlike other Muslim countries allows the consumption of alcohol. Due to taxes, alcohol is expensive. The government makes profit from these taxes. The taxes are from liquor imports and sales. The excise tax is used by customs at entry points for specific goods such as beer. Many Moroccans are legally employed and can produce and manufacture alcohol. Alcohol is only allowed to be drunk in hotels, local bars and tourist districts. Alcohol is sold in most supermarkets. These areas are sectioned off from the rest of the supermarket and have a different entrance for consumers. These stores not only sell beer but sell wine and spirits. Due to the alcohol restrictions of the law, buying alcohol outside these licensed stores and bars can result in trouble with police. Upmarket restaurants and bars also sell alcohol. You are not allowed to bring your own alcohol to an establishment. As for Morocco being an Islam country, holidays that come from their holy book the Quran are taken in account when it comes to buying alcohol. A few days before Ramadan, alcohol shops close and are reopened when it is a couple days after the end of Ramadan (Eid). Due to the religion’s strict attitude to drinking alcohol, consuming alcohol is not allowed in public. Local Moroccans, due to this law, are forced to consuming alcohol privately indoors. This law also effects bars as they don’t have windows so publicly it can’t be seen. Very little bars allow drinking in public and tourists can only drink outside. Beer and other alcoholic drinks are allowed in the country but there is only as certain limit allowed.

Beer and Moroccan culture

Nightlife in Morocco consists of that of bars and nightclubs, mainly frequented by tourists.. Bars in Morocco are mainly occupied by men. Women are guided to not go in as they would "feel discomfit due to its male dominated presence". According to Moroccan Sahara tours “women might be also targeted for unnecessary attention and harassment”. Women are allowed to drink in upmarket bars or tourist hotel bars. Beer in Moroccan culture has mixed opinions. A beer festival run by “Brasserie du Maroc” was banned back in 2015 “due to non-compliance by the company with legal rules and procedures in this area". It was going to be one of the first beer festivals ever in the country. The creation of the festival was “to halt a decline in beer sales of 7.0 percent in 2013 and 5.4 percent in 2014”. Another case back in 2010 saw some Islamists that were pushing to ban alcohol, particularly for Moroccans to buy/drink. A cleric named Ahmed Raissouni who was connected to the Justice and Development Party, had written a fatwa (religious edict) on the Internet advising Muslims (98% of Morocco's population) to abstain from alcohol and boycott any supermarket that sells alcohol. A study done on Moroccan teenagers (aged 15-17 years) saw 7.6% of males in the lifetime drink alcohol and 2.8% for females. From the same study "over 9 of every 10 pupils questioned (93%) had already heard about alcohol".