Carakale Brewing Company

Carakale is Jordan's first microbrewery, founded in 2010 in Fuheis, in the hills just west of Amman. The brewery sits in the Blue Valley, a lush, terraced valley ringed by mountains, and it brews and bottles all its beer there. Its aim is to combine traditional brewing with new methods and unusual flavour combinations, using premium ingredients, some of them from Jordan.

The first beer it produced was the Carakale Blonde Ale, designed as an easy-drinking entry point, and the range has grown to include IPAs, porters and a Blue Valley Kölsch. The brewery has also collaborated with craft brewers abroad, producing beers such as Dead Sea-rious, a gose flavoured with grapefruit and salted with Dead Sea salt, a fig and chamomile pilsner and a za'atar-spiced saison. Its Makan series of eight limited-release beers carries labels celebrating places in Jordan, from Fuheis and Amman to Petra and Wadi Rum.

Visiting is a different kind of night out from the bars of Rainbow Street. Visitors can see the brewing floor and order draughts as full glasses or as samplers to try several styles. There is no kitchen, but you are welcome to bring your own food, and outdoor grills are available, which makes it a relaxed place to spend an afternoon or evening with friends.

Brewery tours are booked by emailing [email protected], and the team can also be reached by phone or WhatsApp on +962 79 306 0609. Tours explain the brewery's methods and ingredients and give an insight into how craft beer is made in Jordan. Because the brewery is outside the city, plan your transport in advance and do not drive after drinking; a taxi or ride-hailing car from Amman is the simplest option.

Carakale suits beer enthusiasts, groups of friends and visitors curious about Jordan's modern food and drink scene. The brewery says it was built from the ground up with the aim of crafting high-quality beer, and a tour is the best way to hear that story and ask questions about the ingredients and styles. Bring snacks or a picnic if you plan to stay a while, since there is no food on site. Combine a visit with an afternoon in Fuheis, or go in the late afternoon and enjoy the valley views before heading back to Amman for dinner.