The Triangle has many breweries, but this newcomer will be different. Here’s how

Triangle residents already have access to a host of quality breweries. But Crooked Hammock Brewery sees itself as bringing something different to the Raleigh market.

First established in Delaware in 2015, the Hammock, as owner Rich Garrahan calls it, draws a diverse customer base. Families, young professionals, older people and dogs are all welcomed.

Unlike other breweries, which may be minimalist or industrial, Crooked Hammock is colorful, decorated with murals on the walls. There’s even a Jeep out front, inviting visitors to embrace the restaurant’s ethos of escaping the everyday.

“Every Hammock is different,” Garrahan told The News & Observer in a call. “We designed them specific to the location that we’re at.”

And while Crooked Hammock brews beer on location, it also offers a full bar and scratch kitchen, serving dishes inspired by the leisurely events that Garrahan experienced growing up in New Jersey.

A decade ago, Garrahan and his business partner, Josh Grapski, were searching for a place to bring their families, but all that was available was pizza joints and arcades.

As they brainstormed, the idea they kept returning to was the backyard cookout — a gathering that brought together extended families, neighbors and friends. Food eaten fresh off the grill. Beers snagged right from coolers.

“The idea of the hammock was, to us, the most iconic symbol of the emotion that we were trying to create,” Garrahan said. “When you hop in a hammock, all of a sudden, your troubles just disappear.”

The idea caught on. Crooked Hammock, owned by La Vida Hospitality, expanded to a second Delaware location, and then — right after the pandemic — another restaurant and brewery in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Raleigh’s Crooked Hammock, expected to open this spring at 4501 Edwards Mill Road, will be the chain’s fourth.

“This is definitely the kind of community that we want to be a part of, and we want to spend a lot of time in,” Garrahan said.

Beer at Crooked Hammock

Garrahan and Grapski both love beer and wanted to be able to serve unique drinks. The beers at Crooked Hammock are special to the brand, and on a visit, customers will find 16 varieties on tap. Think lagers, IPAs and sours, plus limited-time, seasonal additions. Right now, Crooked Hammock is pouring its Banana Hammock, a Belgian-style Quadrupel brewed with fresh bananas and cacao nibs.

“We’ve always been this easy drinking craft brewery really focused on lighter, fruit-forward, flavorful, easy drinking beers,” Garrahan said.

The Raleigh location will have a 10-barrel brewery that can make 20 kegs of beer at a time. Beers are available starting around $7 for a 16-ounce pour.

But if beer’s not your speed, Crooked Hammock also makes hard lemonades, teas and sodas, and it incorporates these spiked drinks into signature cocktails (prices vary).

Food menu at Crooked Hammock

Since the restaurant is inspired by a backyard cookout, diners will find many dishes traditionally cooked over a flame, including Sticky Lager Grilled Chicken, Char Broiled Steak Skewers and Honey BBQ Ribs ($22-$30).

“We’re a burger place for sure,” Garrahan said. Crooked Hammock offers a few options, among them a traditional style with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and kettle sauce ($18), and a smash burger ($17).

For apps, a few highlights include the Longboard Nachos, tortilla chips topped with melted cheese, roja sauce, corn and black bean salsa, chipotle crema, pickled jalapeños and sour cream ($20), and a Bavarian-style Humongous Pretzel ($14), which comes with sides of honey mustard and jalapeño cheese sauce.

Crooked Hammock will also be tossing thin-crust, stone-fired pizzas in Raleigh.

Sit and stay a while

Still under construction, Raleigh’s Crooked Hammock will be 8,600 square feet, with its brewery on display, high ceilings, a wraparound bar with high-tops and TVs, and an outdoor patio.

It will also have an expansive backyard with a playground, fire pits, cornhole and, of course, hammocks.

“This location — I think we’re really lucky — it has this rolling hill that comes off the backyard. It’s going to be landscaped, and then this really tall tree line that surrounds it,” Garrahan said.

“So when you’re in the backyard, I don’t think you’re going to feel like you’re in an urban part of Raleigh. I think you’re going to feel like you’re kind of secluded in a place hopefully you’re going to want to stay a while.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 11:49 AM with the headline "The Triangle has many breweries, but this newcomer will be different. Here’s how."

Renee Umsted

The News & Observer

202-383-6008

Renee Umsted is a service journalism reporter for The News & Observer. She has a degree in journalism from the Bob Schieffer College of Communication at TCU.