Several Western brewers have found a solution to the impossible equation on how to sell malt beverages to countries in the Middle East where alcohol is shunned by Muslims or even outright outlawed. Moussy, recently bought by Carlsberg, and Fayrouz and Birell, acquired by Heineken, are three brands of a special malt beverage that is between beer and soft drinks and without alcohol as it has never been fermented, the Associated Press writes.

Fayrouz, produced by the Egypt-based Al-Ahram and declared 'halal' by the hugely influential Al-Azhar University in Cairo, sells 11.8m gallons a year in Egypt alone, while Moussy, which is made in a small town in Switzerland, is the market leader in Saudi Arabia with 7.9m gallons per year.

19 February, 2003