When I read on Facebook that Double Branch Artisanal Ales, located at 5956 Wesley Grove Blvd. in The Village at The Grove, was under new ownership, I was excited to meet the new owner and learn about his plans for the place — even though I’ve never been a big beer drinker.
Well, after meeting the new owner, who goes by Dee (shown here with his friendly bartender/team member Jenna), and seeing how he’s already opened up Double Branch’s interior, including creating a window into the sizable working brewery, added more TVs (including a 190” projection screen) and upgraded the entire look of the place, I have to say that Dee is on the right track.
He’s also added several more beer taps (with a rotating selection of excellent craft beers and “a new commitment to sustainable brewing practices”), with live entertainment, trivia nights, brewery tours and fun community events all coming up soon.
Dee also says that although you can bring in food from The Grove’s restaurants and enjoy them with his tasty beers, seltzers, ciders and white, red and rose wines on tap, he plans to bring in “maybe 20-30 total items” from Falabella Family Bistro across the way sometime in the future. In the meantime, he also plans to host a Grand Opening event sometime later this month, but had not yet announced it as we went to press with this issue, so check our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page for that announcement soon.
For more info about Double Branch Artisanal Ales, which is open every day except Monday (although Dee says he does plan to open Mondays for Monday Night Football games), call (813) 492-880 or visit DoubleBranch.beer — and please tell Dee I sent you!
The official numbers hadn’t been tallied at our press time, but according to event co-chair Chris Stennett, there is no mistaking that, once again, the Rotary Club of New Tampa Noon’s second annual New Tampa Brew Fest was a hit.
Hundreds of revelers strolled from table to table in the Venetian Center at St. Mark The Evangelist Catholic Church on Cross Creek Blvd., sampling nearly 100 offerings from more than 30 breweries, both big and small, sometimes to wash down the food being served by three outstanding food trucks outside.
The breweries represented included everything from large companies like Cigar City, Florida Avenue, Coppertail and Goose Island to smaller craftsmen who brew out of their garages, like Krazy Eddie’s Garage (KEG) Brewing, Ignorant Ales and Wiregrass Brewing Co.
“We were really, really happy with the event,” said Stennett afterward. “I feel good about what we did, and we are thankful for the community for coming out to support us.”
The event is the primary fundraiser for the New Tampa Noon Rotary (which meets Wednesdays at noon at Bayscape Bistro inside Heritage Isles Golf Club) and helped the club contribute thousands of dollars to causes like the Fisher House at the James Haley VA Hospital last year.
Few came further for this year’s event than Wisconsin’s Dennis Zweber (above, left), who took his brother Greg (right), who lives in Lutz, up on an offer to fly down for the Brew Fest and enjoy some better weather.
Dennis, who lives in Soldier’s Grove, WI, just east of Madison, found a plane ticket for $67 out of Minneapolis — about four hours away — and said that going to beer festivals was one of his family’s favorite pastimes.
“I figured, ‘What the heck,’” said Dennis. “We always have a great time when we go to these things.”
Dennis said he was impressed by the New Tampa Brew Fest, considering it was only the second year the event has been held.
“I was really impressed with the quality of the beers,” he said. “They had a lot of breweries, a lot of variety. I drank a lot of really good beer.”
Dennis, who tends to enjoy darker beers, said his favorite was the organic Peppermint Porter served by Randy Gailit, who brews his Wiregrass Brewing Co. (page 40) out of his garage in the Meadow Pointe community. “That was a really beautiful beer,” Dennis said.
Wiregrass Brewing Co. wasn’t the only local to draw rave reviews. Double Branch Artisanal Ales (DBAA), which is opening a place in The Grove in Wesley Chapel in January, drew a lot of attention for its offerings, particularly the Orange Suede, a passion fruit, orange peel, pineapple and marshmallow sour.
For DBAA co-owner Ryan Clarke, his first New Tampa Brew Fest was a success. He said the Orange Suede was so popular he had to crack open a second keg of it.“I thought it was a great event, and a great chance to introduce ourselves to the beer-loving community,” Clarke said.
When the New Tampa Noon Rotary went looking for an idea to create a signature event that would raise thousands of dollars for the club’s favorite causes, it wanted something hip, trendy and successful.
Now, heading into its second year, the club members have high hopes for their New Tampa Brew Fest, which will be held tomorrow — Saturday, November 16 — at the Venetian Center at St. Mark The Evangelist Catholic Church on Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa
“We actually stole the idea from the Temple Terrace Rotary Club,” says Jeff Ulbrich, the event’s co-chair.
According to Ulbrich, his fellow Rotarians in Temple Terrace have been holding a craft Brew Fest in the spring for five years, and it has been wildly successful, drawing more than 2,000 attendees from more than 70 zip codes to sample the wares from roughly 35 different breweries.
The Temple Terrace event has made the kind of impact that the New Tampa Noon Rotary is hoping for with its Brew Fest. Despite some nervous moments leading up to the event, last year’s inaugural New Tampa Brew Fest was deemed a success, drawing 28 breweries and about 500 attendees.
The event raised enough money to cover expenses and contribute thousands of dollars to U.S. military troops and the second Fisher House at the James Haley VA Hospital on BBD, which is a “comfort” home where active U.S. military and veteran families can stay while their loved ones are being treated in the hospital.
“The purpose behind the Brew Fest was for our Rotary Club to create an event that the whole New Tampa, and greater Tampa Bay area, can take part in,” says co-chair Chris Stennett. “The dollars go back into civic projects, so we wanted something that had the biggest value. We aren’t a big club, so for us to make a big impact, we had to dream big.”
The New Tampa Brew Fest is by far the biggest fund raiser put on by the Noon Rotary, and the plan is to continue building it until it rivals the one held in Temple Terrace.
The numbers have been encouraging. Last year’s event had 28 breweries, but dipping further into Tampa and St. Petersburg’s deep bench of craft breweries, close to 35 of them will be represented this year, serving more than 100 different kinds of beers. “I was stunned by how many craft breweries there are,” Ulbrich says.
The craft beers available for tasting come from such noted craft breweries as Cigar City, Big Storm Brewing, Coppertail, Florida Avenue (which is opening a new brewery on S.R. 56; see pg. 39) and 3 Daughters, as well as smaller brewers like Krazy Eddie’s Garage (KEG) Brewing, which is made in garage in Odessa, the new Double Branch Artisanal Ales (which is opening next month at The Grove in Wesley Chapel)l, and Wiregrass Brewing, another independent brew which attended last year’s event (see pg. 38).
Ulbrich says the bigger craft breweries use big distributors like Pepin and JJ Taylor, which also will provide beers for the event from 24 breweries, with the rest coming from smaller independent brewers. “We are trying to find a balance,” Ulbrich says.
The mega-popular White Claw hard seltzer, which is fighting a nationwide shortage of its product, will again have a booth at the event as well.
This year’s Brew Fest also will have three new food trucks on hand – Bacon Boss, BBQ Time and Mr. C’s Grilled Cheese.
“Last year was our first year, and we had no idea how many people would show up,” says Stennett. But, we knew it could work, and we knew the event could be a lot of fun and engage the community. We want to be able to do more (with our donations), and we feel we’re on to something here.”
When I was at the University of Florida, I remember asking a friend after at least six hours at a dorm party, “So, how much beer is too much beer?”
His response was, “The question is, how much beer is enough beer?
Well, those who attend the first-ever New Tampa Brew Fest, presented by Kling Law of Tampa, on Saturday, November 10, 6 p.m.-10 p.m., at the Venetian Event Center in front of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church (9724 Cross Creek Blvd.), may actually be able to answer both of those questions. (kidding)
Hosted by the Rotary Club of New Tampa Noon (the club I belong to), which meets Wednesdays at noon at Mulligans Irish Pub inside the Pebble Creek Golf Club, this first-ever New Tampa Brew Fest is likely to become an instant classic.
Thanks to the efforts of club members Jeff Ulbrich, Lisa Hickey, Dr. Steve Dau and multiple others, the Brew Fest will feature at least 75 different craft and brand-name beers including (but not limited to; more may still be added):
*Big Storm Brewery — Oktoberfest, Oatmeal Stout & Lightning Lager
*Big Top Brewing Co. — Trapeze Monk, Hawaiian Lion & Conch Republic
*Blue Point Brewing Co. — Toasted Lager, Citrus Plunge & Prop Stopper
*Bold City Brewery — Duke’s Cold Nose, Mad Manatee & 1901
*Coppertail Brewing Co. — Free Dive, Unholy Trippel & Independent Pilsner
*Florida Avenue Brewing — Lager, IPA & Brown Ale
*Founders Brewing Co. — All Day IPA, Solid Gold & PC Pilsner
*Funky Buddha Brewery — Floridian, Pineapple Beach Blonde & Hop Gun IPA
*Goose Island Brewing Co. — 312 Urban & English Style IPA
*Highland Brewing Co. — Gaelic Ale, Mandarin & Daycation IPA
*Kona Brewing — Longboard Lager, Fire Rock Pale Ale & Big Wave Golden Ale
*Mr. Dunderbak’s — Biergarten
*Swamp Head Brewery — Stump Knocker, Big Nose IPA & Cottonmouth
*3 Daughters Brewing — Beach Blonde, Rod Bender & Floating Dock
*Uinta Brewing Co. — Pale Ale, Baba Black Lager & Lime Pilsner
We don’t yet know exactly what brews the following will be bringing,
but there also will be samples at the event of:
*Brew Hub *Dunder Brau Brewing *Keel & Curley Cider
*Lagunitas Brewing Co. *Liquid Garage *Two Henry’s Brewing Co.
*White Claw Hard Seltzer *Wiregrass Brewing *Yuengling Brewery
Great! So, How & Where Do I Buy My Tickets?
Tickets to the New Tampa Brew Fest have been reduced to just $25 per person and that includes as many samples of all of the great beers that will be on hand as you desire.
The food trucks listed below will not be inside the event (the food will not be included with the cost of your Brew Fest admission) and each truck charges different prices for the different kinds of food they serve.
Kling Law will be providing FREE Uber rides home for any Brew Fest attendees who need them and designated driver attendance tickets cost just $20 apiece for those who want to check out the event without sampling the beers. And of course, you must be at least 18 to attend and at least age 21 to drink any of the brews at the event.
Best of all, the net proceeds from the New Tampa Brew Fest will benefit the New Tampa Noon Rotary Foundation, which supports and does service projects to benefit organizations that serve U.S. military active duty and veterans and other first responders, as well as schools, the elderly and service projects from Fire Station No. 20 on BBD to as far away as India, Nepal and Kenya. Rotary International, the world’s largest service organization, with thousands of clubs and more than 1 million members worldwide, is also the organization that is within just a few cases a year (in mainly war-torn, impoverished countries) of completely eradicating polio (which once crippled and killed hundreds of thousands of people worldwide per year).
To pre-purchase New Tampa Brew Fest tickets, visit NewTampaBrewFest.com or search “New Tampa Brew Fest” on Facebook. Tickets also will be sold at the event that night.—GN
And, Outside The Brew Fest, These Food Trucks Are Scheduled To Be On-Site!
If you drove by the new Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW, or “B-Dubs”) Wesley Chapel, located on S.R. 56, just east of Cypress Ridge Blvd., on the morning of July 6, you probably saw a mass of people wrapped around the building, tents and even a sofa (we’re told). Continue reading
