With a space of 600 m² spread over two floors, Round Two combines a restaurant and a production facility capable of brewing up to 4,500 hectoliters of beer per year.
After the Vagabond adventure, Sami Shenaihi and Paul Shoueiry are stepping up with Round Two, a brewery-restaurant located in Dora, at the northern entrance of Beirut. This ambitious project, launched with Philippe Jabr, owner of Almaza and main investor, represented a new step in their journey. “This is our Round Two, a second chance after our first careers,” said Shenaihi, a former lawyer who switched to craft brewing.
Located in a former Almaza factory building, the place required an investment of $1.1 million for the brewery and $300,000 for the renovation of the building. With a 600 m² space spread over two floors, Round Two combines a restaurant and a production facility capable of brewing up to 4,500 hectoliters of beer per year.
“We wanted to move from a craft format, where we produced with a 180-liter pot, to a real brewery capable of meeting the Lebanese market’s needs,” he explained.
The official opening, in October 2024, was preceded by several months of testing. Today, Round Two offers six main styles: Pale Ale, IPA, New England IPA, English IPA, Red Ale and Stout, as well as an experimental and seasonal range informally called Nice Try.
“The Pale Ale and the IPA are the most popular, but we like to surprise people with more cloudy, fruity beers or those inspired by English traditions,” he added. The beers are available in 33 cl and 50 cl, with a price of $6 for the smallest at the bar. “For now, all our beers are the same price, but we'll see how the market evolves.”
A three-in-one place
Round Two also stood out for its ecological commitment.
“Our approach is sustainable: We recycle plastic and cardboard and optimize our energy consumption by sharing certain resources with Almaza, which has 1,200 solar panels,” explained Shenaihi. He insisted on the total independence of the two entities: “We are neighbors but separate. Round Two is a standalone entity.”
The equipment is entirely made in Lebanon, although raw materials – barley, hops and yeast – are imported from the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand. “Unfortunately, there is not yet the necessary technology to produce quality barley in Lebanon.”
On the restaurant side, the concept went beyond a simple brewery, with many dishes on the menu, including meat, fish, as well as starters and salads. “Our servers are trained to recommend beer-food pairings,” Shenaihi said. The average bill is $40. The establishment has 24 employees, including four in the kitchen and a terrace with a large garden, which will open in the spring.
Vagabond, the first project by Shenaihi and Shoueiry, remains open in Badaro and continues to play an important role: “Originally, Vagabond was a springboard for beer, our laboratory for testing our products and interacting with customers.” But the arrival of Jabr changed the game.
“Philippe proposed a partnership with us to go further. This allowed us to create Round Two,” Shanaihi explained. Today, Vagabond sells Round Two’s beers, but the two structures remain distinct, with a new SAL, called Craft Beer Masters, and three investors.
Round Two beers will subsequently be distributed in several restaurants, bars, and specialty shops. With this new brewery, the Shenaihi-Shoueiry duo marks a rise that could well redefine the brewing landscape in Lebanon.
