It is well known that in ancient societies of the middle east like Egypt and Mesopotamia beer was an important commodity and essential part of daily life.
Was there a beer culture in the middle east that was wiped out by the rise of Islam? If it was not for the rise of Islam, is it conceivable that the world's beer Mecca (no pun intended) could be in Egypt or Syria instead of Germany? Certainly people have been brewing beer for WAY longer in the middle east than in Europe, but does this culture still exist or was it lost?
What Islam says and what Muslims do, while connected, are not necessarily completely congruent. For all that the various forms of Christianity rail against adultery, that hasn't stopped any Christians from being adulterous. More can always be said on the matter of alcohol culture in the MENA region or the Islamic world if anyone would like to have a go at it; for the meantime, we do have some previous answers on hand that deal with this: