Experience Culture: Jordan’s First Microbrewery Carakale

Let’s start by clearing up one misconception by many expats living in Amman, Jordan. Carakale is not brewed in Karak and therefore, they are not misspelling the name. Rather, the authentic Jordan brew gets it’s name from an authentic Jordan native – the caracal wild cat.

Now that this has been cleared up, let’s explore why this is a must do experience when you visit Jordan. No need to restate the amazing business story of being the first and only microbrewery in Jordan or of the man, Yazan Karadsheh who has pioneered this project, when you can read these excellent articles on those subjects.

LA Times: A beer pioneer launches Jordan’s first microbrewery

AlJAZEERA America: Jordan’s craft brewery brings beer back to its birthplace

Let’s instead focus on what your experience will be like, starting with the drive. The factory and tasting room where Carakale is brewed is in Fuhays. This traditionally Christian area is a little bit of a drive from the center of Amman. On the drive you will get to see a different face of Jordan as you pass through the local town centers. The brewery is on the edge of Fuhays, but this should not be a deterrent to visit. The opposite in fact, this is the very reason you should visit. It’s on the edge of the city and therefore you have beautiful views of the surrounding hills. Zero city sounds out here. It’s an excellent beer drinking environment.

The tour itself is a mixture of the history of Carakale, fun facts about brewing beer in the Middle East, and helpful information of how the beer brewing process is accomplished. Along the way you will get to try a few beers which incorporate local ingredients whenever possible, and end in the tasting room where you will be given bottle caps for more beer. Here in the tap room you can choose to look down on the brewery or out towards the magnificent hills as you sip you cold brew on the deck.

Although tours are typically booked in groups, if you don’t have a group, you can still go on the tour by visiting the tap room on their open nights (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 6:00PM-9:00PM). The tour starts promptly at 6:00PM.

At Experience Jordan we like to combine a visit to Carakale with a little hike along the Jordan Trail. Stay tuned as this walk+brew trip will start showing up in our Weekly Walk cycle soon. But, you can book a walk + brewery tour at anytime if you have a group of friends or work group that is ready. Just contact our Adventure Travel Specialist. We love creating custom tour experiences in Jordan. Cheers!

Note: Although this tour does not have access to food, you can bring your own and they even provide gas and a grill if you want burgers or hotdogs with your beer.

Want to read about other people’s experiences? Here are two travel bloggers experiences at the brewery.

CTB Global: JORDAN – Beer tasting at Carakale microbrewery, Jordans only brewery

Travel Esquire: Jordan Microbrewery Marks Beer’s Rebirth in Mesopotamia!