A lifestyle _ brewery
Ice-cold Colonel
By James Haines-Young
Lebanon’s newest brew ery
Haddad spent seven years working on sales and marketing in the boardrooms of Adidas but always kept his teenage passion for brewing close to heart. “I started when I was 18 and began with liquor before moving to beer. It was very hard – there was no Google or anything, so information was difficult to access,” says Haddad. He traveled to Europe to get the proper training and started brewing at home. Then, just over a year ago, he left behind the boardroom and the bedroom-brewery to open something of his own. A year on, he has a staff of four (as A 212
well as his brother) and is churning out four types of brew as fast as he can lovingly craft them. However, it wasn’t enough to just open a microbrewery in a country dominated by one brand, Heineken-owned Almaza. Haddad wanted to build something sustainable that had a low impact on the environment but, importantly, had an innovative design. Not only is the location near the sea stunning, but the building is striking: a long glass window from the bar shows the brewery’s inner workings, while the restaurant serves up tasty classic dishes. Perhaps most impressive is the environmental aspect of the project. By sourcing industrial pallets and a Lebanesedesigned material called Eco-Board, a building material made from plastic bags and packaging, Haddad has built himself a recycled brewery. “I was in scouts all my life and I was really interested in green technology, so right from the beginning I wanted it to be green,” he says. With EcoBoard the brewery is also about to become a living garden. “It has green walls and a green roof, so we will start growing the vegetables for the restaurant right on the
building,” says Haddad. Haddad made environmental consciousness a priority from the start, but not everyone was supportive. “Many people told me it wouldn’t be nice,” he admits. “They weren’t used to it, but now those people want to do the same. This is how things change.” Haddad says that while the local surfers will certainly like Colonel, they’re not his target. “What we wanted were beer lovers. Young people, but people who appreciate green, crafted and artisanal products,” he says. As well as their main beer – a Czech lager – Colonel is also making three additional types of beverage. The lager will hit supermarkets in Batroun this summer, and a red Irish, black Irish and German light will all be available from the brewery bar. A microbrewery doesn’t churn out on the same scale as mass-production, so for now they’re keeping things local. If they expand slowly, Haddad is confident the quality will remain tip-top, and that stores in Beirut will soon sell Colonel as well. His enthusiasm is infectious; he clearly loves brewing. But how does Jamil Haddad describe Colonel’s drink? “Real beer,” plain and simple.
©Roland Ragi
The sun-kissed shores of Batroun have always been about relaxing. From the windsurfers, sailors and swimmers to the beachgoers and midnight clubbers, it’s earned a reputation for being a laidback hedonists’ playground. But something new is brewing on the golden shores of north Lebanon that could cause a stir nationwide. Jamil Haddad has opened Lebanon’s newest microbrewery, which he named Colonel (with the French pronunciation) after a local landmark – the surfer spot of Colonel just south of Batroun. As well as a microbrewery, Haddad has opened a restaurant and bar so that lovers of bespoke brews can come down and sample beers with a difference.