Doin’ it their way
Gnarly Barley has poured its skateboarding spirit, bold artwork and unmistakable sense of fun into a hometown brewery that gives visitors plenty of reasons to make the trip to Hammond.
Only a few miles from my front door, Gnarly Barley has turned an industrial building on Corbin Road into one of Hammond’s most colorful hometown success stories.
Catahoula Common Ground
One of Louisiana’s most recognizable craft breweries sits only a few miles from my front door.
Gnarly Barley occupies a large warehouse at 1709 Corbin Road, tucked into an industrial pocket of Hammond where the surrounding metal buildings make its personality stand out all the more. A sprawling, brightly colored mural transforms the brewery’s entrance into something closer to an oversized piece of can art, signaling that this is no ordinary warehouse before visitors ever reach the door. Ample parking makes arrival easy, even when an event is underway.
Inside, the scale of the building gives way to the casual, welcoming atmosphere that customers regularly praise. I introduced myself at the bar and explained that I wanted to photograph the brewery and share its story. While I waited to look around, I ordered the Helles Lager released that month.
The familiar favorites are always waiting at the taproom, but the rotating selections make it difficult to resist trying something new. The Helles was crisp and approachable—something of a first cousin to Catahoula Common, one of my Gnarly Barley favorites from the beginning.
I remember when finding the brewery’s beer meant spotting it on tap somewhere around Hammond or bringing home a freshly filled growler. Catahoula Common became an easy choice, while Korova Milk Porter offered something darker and richer.
Those early growlers eventually gave way to bottles and broader releases. For those of us who watched it happen, Gnarly Barley became a hometown success story one pour at a time.
The distance from a Ponchatoula kitchen stove to a production floor filled with stainless steel tells much of Gnarly Barley’s story.
Good Seed
The story began around 2010, when Zac Caramonta started homebrewing at the Ponchatoula home he shared with his wife, Cari. According to the brewery’s history, the setting included a kitchen stove, two well-fed cats, a garage and a halfpipe. The personality was already taking shape.
Zac found his calling in brewing; Cari brought a background in marketing and business. Together, they began turning the experiment into something larger.
In 2011, the couple brought Korova Milk Porter and Hoppopotamus IPA to the New Orleans on Tap Beer Festival. The response helped move the idea forward, and Gnarly Barley opened its 14,000-square-foot Hammond brewery in 2014. Its original lineup consisted of three core draft beers: Catahoula Common, Radical Rye P.A. and Korova Milk Porter.
Walk through the production area today and the distance between that kitchen stove and the current operation comes sharply into focus. Stainless-steel tanks tower over the production floor, surrounded by the equipment required to brew and package beer on a much larger scale.
It is a remarkable leap from the days of three taps and fresh growlers.
Skateboard-wheel tap handles carry the culture that inspired Gnarly Barley’s name directly into the beer-drinking experience.
Skater Aid
The skateboards tell you exactly where you are.
Zac’s skateboarding background brought the word “gnarly” into the conversation. When Cari realized it rhymed with barley, the brewery had its name. That origin became part of the visual brand, from the circular logo to tap handles designed as skateboard wheels.
Skateboarding remains visible throughout the taproom. Old decks line the base of the bar, boards hang overhead and a red-and-yellow T-shirt pays homage to classic Santa Cruz graphics. Even the merchandise extends that connection, with skateboard decks bearing the Gnarly Barley name.
I have one of the company’s early red decks—with its original logo framed by golden barley—hanging in my kitchen, which may say as much about the power of the brand as it does about my decorating decisions.
Cari has described Gnarly Barley as “ever-evolving fun,” a phrase that neatly captures the progression of its visual brand. The look has grown more polished alongside the brewery without losing the mischievous energy that makes names like Jucifer, Brightside and Skater Aid feel right at home.
Dine Gnar sits directly across Corbin Road, helping turn a stop at the brewery into a full afternoon in Hammond.
Social Lubricant
Gnarly Barley gives people reasons to gather that go well beyond stopping in for a beer.
Open-mic nights, bingo, live music, markets, special releases and larger celebrations regularly reshape the brewery around whatever is happening that day. One such event, the Analog Exchange, brought me back with my friend Charles and his father about a month before this visit. Vendors spread vintage records across the brewery floor as collectors, music lovers and the merely curious flipped through crates in search of familiar albums, forgotten favorites and the occasional surprise.
Cold beer, old vinyl and good company proved to be a pretty dependable combination. More importantly, the event showed how easily Gnarly Barley can bring people together around a shared interest and turn a quick visit into several hours.
When hunger sets in, Dine Gnar keeps the outing going. Operated by Hammond’s Fine Thyme Catering directly across Corbin Road, it serves substantial pub fare ranging from burgers, chicken sandwiches and wings to loaded fries, salads and shareable snacks. Between the brewery’s event calendar and a full meal within walking distance, it is easy to arrive without much of a plan and let the afternoon take shape on its own.
Stacked high inside the brewery, beer made in Hammond waits to carry Gnarly Barley—and a piece of Tangipahoa Parish—throughout the region.
Micro Giant
The towering stacks of cans on the brewery floor make the scale of Gnarly Barley’s operation difficult to miss.
From Corbin Road, its beer travels to grocery stores and taps throughout Louisiana and into Mississippi. Even as Gnarly Barley has grown into one of the state’s most recognizable craft breweries, the company continues to brew, package and ship its beer from Tangipahoa Parish.
Its influence travels beyond the beer. A portion of Skater Aid sales supports skateboarding initiatives such as Parisite DIY Skatepark in New Orleans, while Zac’s work as a founding member of the YOURS Foundation helps communities develop skateparks of their own. The culture that inspired the brewery continues to benefit from its success.
That combination of growth and community investment has attracted attention across Louisiana and beyond. The Brewers Association ranked Gnarly Barley among the nation’s 50 fastest-growing craft breweries in both 2017 and 2018. The Tangipahoa Chamber later named it the parish’s 2023 Small Business of the Year, while the Louisiana Travel Association honored it with the 2023 Louey Award for Attraction of the Year.
Gnarly Barley may have outgrown the kitchen stove where it started, but it has never left the halfpipe behind.
The foosball table is one small part of a brewery built to give visitors reasons to gather, explore and stay awhile.
Steady On
The scale has changed. The ritual has not.
Walk into the brewery, study the board, ask what is new and order whatever catches your attention. The atmosphere remains colorful, casual and just rough enough around the edges to keep the word “gnarly” honest.
That continuity has made the brewery’s rise especially satisfying to watch. Gnarly Barley has expanded its reach, sharpened its visual brand and collected plenty of accolades, and a visit still feels personal—like stepping into a hometown brewery that knows exactly what it wants to be.
Before making the drive, check Gnarly Barley’s Facebook page or online calendar to see what is pouring and what might be happening that weekend.
Gnarly Barley has grown well beyond its hometown beginnings without losing the personality that made people want to follow along.
