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Barley taproom in downtown Chattanooga to close after six years on MLK

Staff Photo by Dave Flessner / The Barley bar and taproom at 235 M.L. King Blvd. will close Sept. 30 after operating for seven years. The business was photographed Wednesday.
Staff Photo by Dave Flessner / The Barley bar and taproom at 235 M.L. King Blvd. will close Sept. 30 after operating for seven years. The business was photographed Wednesday. Staff Photo by Dave Flessner / The Barley bar and taproom at 235 M.L. King Blvd. will close Sept. 30 after operating for seven years. The business was photographed Wednesday.

By Dave Flessner 3 min read

After serving up a variety of handmade draft cocktails and high-gravity craft beers for the past six years, the Barley taproom in downtown Chattanooga will close at the end of the month.

Barley owner Cameron Hamner said he is closing the bar Sept. 30 when the lease for the storefront at 235 E. M.L King Blvd. ends.

“Our lease was up for renewal, and since business has not returned to pre-COVID levels, we chose not to renew and will close on 9/30,” Hamner said in an emailed statement.

Barley originally opened in the summer of 2017 as a beer-only establishment, and Hamner said the next year “we added handmade draft cocktails and expanded that segment further from there.” With its variety of craft beers and drinks, and lounge and bar seating both inside and outdoors, Barley attracted both downtown workers and students from the nearby University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus.

When it opened, Barley co-owners Hamner and Brad D. Lee said the bar was modeled on Loosa Brews, a Tuscaloosa, Alabama-based tap room that opened in 2014 and is owned by Lee.