Zac and Cari Caramonta recently celebrated the three year anniversary for their local brewing company, Gnarly Barley, with a party and the launching of a new beer called Jucifer. 
Courtesy of Zac and Cari Caramonta

Zac and Cari Caramonta recently celebrated the third anniversary of Gnarly Barley, a partnership that the couple founded after meeting and falling in love at the university. 

Zac and Cari Caramonta were the 2016 Young Alumni of the Year and have been running  Gnarly Barley Brewing Co. for three years. 

“We are a couple that met at Southeastern in 2005, got married in 2009, opened a brewery in 2014 and here we are three years later,” said Cari Caramonta. “Zac was a home brewer, and I enjoyed marketing and merchandising, so it was a perfect blend.”

Cari Caramonta is pleased with the company’s rate of growth. 

“We have grown so much faster than expected,” said Cari Caramonta. “It’s been awesome.”

To celebrate how much their company has affected  and been affected by the community of Hammond and the university, the Caramontas hosted a party in honor of their three years of brewing. 

“It was a huge success,” said Cari Caramonta. “We launched a brand-new year-round beer called Jucifer, and people are going crazy over it, which makes us very excited. It’s a very juicy New England style IPA.”

The university has played a role in the Caramontas’ lives from helping the couple meet to assisting in their growing company. 

“They are a great partner,” said Cari Caramonta. “They love promoting our brand and the fact that we met at and both graduated from SLU.”

As a result of being involved in Hammond and university life, the Gnarly Barley family has benefited from their experiences. Cari is grateful for the new relationships that the couple has gained.

“We’ve met so many wonderful people and business owners,” said Cari Caramonta. “We’ve made lifelong friends, and we’ve partnered up with local businesses. It’s been fantastic. We love the Southeastern community.”

Gnarly Barley is predicting a future both on and off campus with the community it has become a part of within the past three years. 

“We are really looking forward to the continued partnership we have with Southeastern,” said Cari Caramonta. “We’ve got some great things on the horizon.”

For the local community and beyond, the owners of Gnarly Barley have four brews currently on tap with more expected to come. The brewing company has several retired custom brews as well. 

“We look forward to continuing to grow right here in Hammond, and we look forward to continuing to grow as a regional brewery,” said Cari Caramonta.

In addition to supplying brews, the company supports the Hammond community by hosting events in their warehouse such as the 2016 Hammond Horror Fest, a Halloween celebration held annually. Gnarly Barley also works with local community businesses such as Red, White and Brew. 

Gnarly Barley hosted a new brew release party called Peanut Butter Korova Can Release Party on Saturday, June 3 from 12-5 p.m. They also host weekly brewery tours at 1 p.m. on Saturdays during their open taproom hours from 12-5 p.m.