A beer is often more than just a beer. It can be a celebratory beverage, a milestone marker, or a peace offering. For the Mystic Krewe of Brew, beer is the nexus that’s forged and sustained friendships for thirty years now.
The Mystic Krewe of Brew is a nationally recognized homebrew club with as many as seventy-five members from Louisiana’s Northshore and surrounding areas. Founded in 1995, the club began in conjunction with the explosion of the United States craft beer movement, and it’s been thriving ever since.
Four of Louisiana’s most-well known breweries are passion projects of Mystic Krewe of Brew members: Chafunkta Brewing, Gnarly Barley, Cypress Coast Brewing, and Deadbeat Brewing.
“As small as the craft beer industry is in Louisiana, to have this many commercial brewers come out of one club is kind of an anomaly,” said Zac Caramonta, founder of Gnarly Barley.
Caramonta joined the Mystic Krewe of Brew around 2010. An independent homebrewer, Caramonta didn’t know anyone in the industry, nor anyone else involved in the hobby. He heard about the club in passing and, on a whim, decided to attend a meeting.
“I was overwhelmed with how welcoming and how appreciative everyone was for me to bring a beer in to sample,” Caramonta said. “They were giving me tasting notes, but not in a negative way. It was just really a full moment for me.”
A few years later, in 2014, Caramonta and his wife Cari opened Gnarly Barley on Corbin Road in Hammond. With two warehouses dedicated to the brewery and another building offering quick service food across the street, the business’s expansive property is a community favorite, with its comfortable, open outdoor space for patrons to relax with their families and pets.
“They're like sons or brothers interested in beer and how to make it better. That's mostly what the beer club is about." —Nancy Hartzog
Things look quite different from when Caramonta first started brewing out of his cramped garage. Some of the beers, however, are the same. Gnarly Barley brews several coconut beers, each a tribute to Caramonta’s early days in the club and one of the Mystic Krewe of Brew’s founding members, Larry Hartzog. A king of creatively flavored beers, Hartzog was the person who taught Caramonta how to process and toast coconut for brewing.
Though Hartzog passed away in 2012, his legacy lives on through the club, the memories of its members, and the work of his widow, Nancy, who is the current secretary and self-proclaimed “den mother” for the Mystic Krewe of Brew.
“Larry left me the beer club,” Nancy said. “The beer club was my inheritance.”
Nancy considers the Mystic Krewe of Brew her family, and she knows her late husband would be proud of all the club’s young, accomplished members.
“I love them all,” Nancy said. “They're like sons or brothers interested in beer and how to make it better. That's mostly what the beer club is about. People who are trying to improve their beer.”
When Mystic Krewe of Brew members want to improve their beer, they often seek out the club’s resident Grand Master Beer Judge, Sal Mortillaro II.
Mortillaro is currently one of eighteen individuals in the world certified as a Level 2 Grand Master Beer Judge—it’s a title bestowed by the Beer Judge Certification Program, a non-profit organization that publishes international style guidelines for beer, including notes on aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, and more. Grand Master Judge certification takes hours of studying for written exams and many more hours of experience judging beer competitions.
“I always call this my professional hobby,” Mortillaro said. “It has been absolutely incredible to be asked for feedback.”
When Justin Meyers and Caleb Schlamp, co-founders of Cypress Coast Brewing, opened up on Government Street in Baton Rouge in 2020, Mortillaro stopped by and tried all the beers on tap, offering the brewers pointers on how to improve their beers.
“Having that knowledge from everybody and that support system . . .” Meyers said, “if you have questions or you’re not sure on something, the beer community is super receptive and open. There's no trade secrets. We're always sharing.”
This spirit of sharing is what brings professional brewers and home brewers alike to the monthly Mystic Krewe meetings, where members exchange their beer creations and brewing tips.
“Every month you get to come to a meeting, enjoy some beers, hang out with some pretty cool people, and learn more about homebrewing and about beer itself,” said Daryl Hope, Mystic Krewe of Brew vice president.
Meetings begin with general club business and information, then conclude with tastings. Members bring their homebrews, many of which are award winners in local competitions and beyond.
Miles Garrett, the Mystic Krewe of Brew’s current president, made history for the club in June of 2025, when his homebrewed “Junco Porter” took silver in the American Porter & Stout category at the National Homebrew Competition, one of the largest contests of its type in the world.
The club hosts its own competition each summer—the Larry Brew Fest held at the Castine Center in Mandeville in honor of Hartzog. The event annually attracts more than fifty homebrewers and vendors, with all proceeds raised benefitting the Northshore Humane Society.
“If you have questions or you’re not sure on something, the beer community is super receptive and open. There's no trade secrets. We're always sharing.” —Justin Meyers, co-founder of Cypress Coast Brewing
By hosting special events such as Larry Fest, or even its regularly scheduled club meetings, the Mystic Krewe of Brew continues to provide a space for seasoned and novice homebrewers to collaborate and connect. Luke Hammonds, co-founder of Deadbeat Brewing, said he and his friends never would’ve struck out into commercial brewing had it not been for the support of Mystic Krewe of Brew members. “The club was a great mentoring process,” Hammonds said.
It’s a culture that fosters curiosity, creativity, and community—pillars that hold up the heart behind homebrewing, and keep the club alive three decades after its founding. It’s an ongoing legacy that is witnessed on any given day of the week, when you find dozens of people enjoying themselves at Chafunkta, Gnarly Barley, Cypress Coast, or Deadbeat. The drinks are a plus, but it’s always been more than just a beer.
The Mystic Krewe of Brew is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025. Four member-owned breweries have a lineup of exciting events planned to pay homage to the club that started it all. Cypress Coast Brewing will kick off the anniversary celebration on Saturday, August 16, with more to come. Stay up to date on the latest at mkob.com.
