Craft brewers edge their way into Lebanon beer market

BATROUN, Lebanon - For decades, beer in Lebanon has meant just one thing: the ubiquitous local pilsner, Almaza. But now a crop of local microbrews is making headway in the home market.

On the shore of the seaside town of Batroun, 34-year-old Jamil Haddad presides over the Colonel brewery, now just over three years old and, he says, expanding fast.

"Every year I'm growing like crazy," he said, as workers put the finishing touches to a stage in the brewery's garden for its annual festival.