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 “Holiday Bird” plate. (Photos by Charmaine George).
Although I’m pretty sure that even most of you non-beer drinkers have at least heard of Yuengling beer, you may or may not realize that Yuengling is the oldest brewery in America. It was established in 1829, when David G. Yuengling arrived from Wuerttemberg, Germany, to settle in the sleepy, coal-mining town of Pottsville, PA.
And, even though a fire completely destroyed Dick’s original brewery on Centre. St., the newer brewery built on Mahantongo St. in Pottsville in 1831 is still the site of the oldest brewery in the U.S.
With demand for its beers growing, the Yuengling family, led by David’s great-great grandson Dick Yuengling, Jr. (who first took over ownership of the brewery in 1985) purchased the former Stroh’s brewery on N. 30th St. (south of Fowler Ave.) in 1999.
For most of the time that Yuengling has owned the brewery in Tampa, there was only a small tasting room to sample the different beers the brewery brewed and sold.
Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen Executive Chef Sean Eckman (left) and VP of Hospitality Brent Wertz.
VP of hospitality Brent Wertz, says that changed in 2020, when the Yuengling family became part of Tampa Innovation, a group that includes most of the major businesses in North Tampa (including USF, Busch Gardens, the Moffitt Cancer Center and AdventHealth Tampa) and was seeking to modernize this area. That was the year the Yuengling family began working on opening what is now called the Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen, a 42,000-sq.-ft. building with a 1.5-acre outdoor patio area.
The Draft Haus, which opened under Wertz’s leadership in June of this year, offers unique chef-created food and 11 of the 12 Yuengling brews available to go with the beer-inspired menu. The Draft Haus also is home to the First Brew coffee bar and Mayday Ice Cream concession stand, as well as a 100 (or so)-seat private banquet hall and the coming-soon Brewhouse Bistro, located on the outdoor patio, which will feature its own menu to be compatible with the patio’s cornhole and other outdoor games and entertainment.
Bring On The Food!
Wertz, who has spent his entire 30-year career in the food and beverage departments of 4- and 5-star resorts (most recently with Hershey Park in Hershey, PA), says that the menu created by the Draft Haus & Kitchen’s executive chef Sean Eckman (whose previous experience also is mainly at top-level resorts, including The Inn on Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC) is not only designed to pair with beer, but many of the food recipes also include different Yuengling beers.
Our editor’s favorite potato-crusted Gulf snapper at the Yuengling Draft Haus on N. 30th St. in Tampa. (Photo by: Gary Nager).
For example, my favorite item at the Draft Haus is the potato-crusted Gulf snapper, which sits on a bed of mac & beer cheese, served with white BBQ slaw and mayo-ketchup tartar sauce, and is made to pair with the Yuengling Traditional Lager or Golden Pilsner.
“We change the menu every couple of months,” Wertz says, “right now, we have a few holiday-themed menu items.”
My favorite among those new items is the “Holiday Bird,” a crispy buttermilk fried chicken breast atop a giant scoop of skin-on redskin mashed potatoes and “Grandma-style” brown gravy, It’s served with two crispy waffles that are made from tasty stuffing and topped with a zesty cranberry relish.
“We actually pour the stuffing into a waffle maker,” Wertz says. “It’s perfect for those who like the crisp edges of stuffing from the oven.”
The new “Colors of Christmas” salad.
I also really enjoyed the “Colors of Christmas” salad — with mixed greens, goat cheese, pomegranate, orange sections, wassail vinaigrette and topped with crispy onions — and the “Tampa Style Pulled Pork” sandwich, which features shredded mojo-roasted pork shoulder on a toasted brioche bun, topped with beer cheese and white BBQ slaw and crispy onions.
And, although I don’t love mushrooms, photographer Charmaine George said she loved the new “Fungi Burger,” which features two smash burger-style patties on a garlic butter croissant, with truffle hop aioli, marinated ‘shrooms and fontina and gruyere cheeses. I can vouch for the other burgers, as the “YDH&K Cheeseburger,” with American cheese, pork jam, house-made 1000 Island dressing, dill pickles and lettuce, tomato & onion on a Kaiser bun, is another of my favorite Draft Haus items.
The “Tampa Style Pulled Pork” sandwich.
Wertz says, “We also feature traditional food items most beer drinkers love — like ‘Mrs. T’s’ Pierogies (served with beer cheese), ‘DIY Deviled Eggs’ (made with beer mustard) and ‘Black & Tan Chili Cheese Fries’ — and items like YDH&K ‘Signature Lobster Bisque,’ a grilled turkey paillard club sandwich and smoked Angus short ribs.”
The holiday dessert manu includes a super-unique “Gingerbread Whoopie Pie Cake,” made with an eggnog ganache.
We complemented our meal with a “Try ‘Em All Flight,” with 6-oz. samples of all ten brews currently available at the Draft Haus — the Traditional and Light Lagers, Golden Pilsner, Flight (light), Bongo (mango) Fizz, Lord Chesterfield Ale, Dark-Brewed Porter, Yuengling Premium, Hershey’s Chocolate Porter and my favorite — the Black & Tan. Charmaine raved about the Bongo Fizz Mango Mojito “Hop-Tail,” with muddled lime, clapped mint, cane syrup and mango purée. And, while Wertz says there is no plan to add hard alcohol, there are a few canned wines available.
The “Gingerbread Whoopie Pie Cake.
After lunch, I picked up a tasty vanilla latté at First Brew and a six pack of Black & Tan at the retail store (every Yuengling beer is for sale there), which also has lots of Yuengling-branded clothing and gift items. We’ll go back to check out the outdoor patio when the Brewhouse Bistro opens next month.
The Yuengling Draft Haus & Kitchen (11109 N. 30th St.) is closed Tues.-Wed., but is open 4 p.m.-10 p.m. on Mon. & Thur., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. & 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sun. For more info, call (813) 488-6444, visit Yuengling.com.
The Draft Haus’ huge retail store. The private 100-seat banquet room at the Draft Haus is available for your private parties beginning in January., as it is booked through Dec.The variety of “Hop-Tails” at the Draft Haus. (Photo by: Yuengling Draft Haus)
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.”
Brew Bus Brewing, Inc., the company behind Florida Avenue Brewing Co. and Brew Bus Brewing, has officially announced that it has purchased the former Sports + Field location on S.R. 56. The new owners will convert Sports + Field into a brewery with a beer garden, full-service restaurant and event space.
The 34,000-sq.-ft., two-floor facility in Wesley Chapel was originally opened in 2005 as $10.5-million multi-purpose fitness center that trained professional athletes while also offering fitness programs for local residents. It closed in 2015.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Brew Bus Brewing Inc., Anthony Derby, told the Neighborhood News last month that his company was taking a close look at property, located at 2029 Arrowgrass Dr., and saw a craft brewery as a missing part of the local Wesley Chapel/New Tampa scene.
“We are excited to expand our operations into Pasco County to provide the community with a family-friendly brewery, event and restaurant destination,” Derby said in a statement. “By this time next year, Pasco County residents will not only be working in our expanded operation, but also enjoying our products a bit closer to home.”
The completed deal is expected to create 46 new local jobs and more than $8.7 million in new capital investment in Pasco County.
“It’s great to reactivate a dormant property with high-paying manufacturing jobs in a unique industry,” Bill Cronin, the president/CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council, said in a press release. “A company like Brew Bus Brewing, Inc., is a win for the whole community, as they embody the live, work, play notion so important to our community’s future economic growth.”
Brew Bus Brewing, Inc., created in 2011, currently operates both a brewery and buses that travel to breweries throughout the Tampa Bay area. In addition to brewing its own Brew Bus beer, the brand expanded in 2015, with the acquisition of Florida Avenue Brewing Co., in an effort to revive one of the area’s most historic breweries. Both Brew Bus and Florida Avenue brands are distributed throughout the entire state of Florida.
“We are happy to welcome Brew Bus Brewing, Inc., to Pasco,” said District 2 Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore. “Not only are they creating jobs, but their new tasting room and restaurant will be a great destination for residents and tourists alike. Breweries are a huge part of the tourism market.”
A one-time multi-million dollar sports and fitness facility could be reborn as home to one of the Tampa Bay area’s most popular craft breweries if Anthony Derby has his way.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing Co. in Tampa says he is eyeing the former Sports + Field Family Athletic & Fitness Club complex on S.R. 56 to expand his current operations, and hopes to close on the property by the end of June.
“We love the property, we love that area of town, but there are some things we need to work out and plan for,” said Derby, who co-founded his brewing companies with his mother Toni Derby, who serves as the company’s chief financial officer (CFO).
Anthony says he, architect Ken Cowart — who also is the project architect for the St. Petersburg Pier — and land-use attorney Anne Pollack met with Pasco County planning officials on April 17, and Derby says the meeting went well.
Derby says he plans to spend $8-9 million on the initial phase/renovations of the project, if it continues to move forward, developing a full-service restaurant and bar while utilizing what was once an outdoor field for training athletes as a beer garden.
“The property has a great L-shape and that is going to help us create a nice little customer experience,” Derby says. “Right now, this property is a really big deal for us.”
The outdoor area also will serve as a family-friendly activities area with games and events, and that was one of the things that made the property even more attractive, along with its location on a busy stretch of S.R. 56 and its proximity to AdventHealth Center Ice, one of Wesley Chapel’s busiest spots.
The “bones” of the building itself remain in great shape, Derby adds, and he expects an extensive but fairly quick indoor renovation that could see the new craft brewery and restaurant open by this time next year.
It’s the next piece of the puzzle out here,” Derby says.
The tasting room at Florida Avenue Brewing Co.
While Wesley Chapel has its fair share of bars, it is not yet home to a craft brewery and restaurant like Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing Co., which is located in Seminole Heights, at 4101 N. Florida Ave.
The company produces Florida Avenue and Brew Bus-branded beers at that location, also serving food and offering tours of other local breweries in Tampa.
The two-story building the Derbys are hoping to renovate as part of their expansion was originally developed by Strong-S Corporation and opened in 2005 as a $10.5-million fitness center that had multiple purposes. It held local basketball leagues on its NBA-sized court, and hosted a number of professional athletes who came there to train, like tennis player Jennifer Capriati and some of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It also offered a number of fitness and massage options for community members.
Sports + Field promoted itself as the only local facility offering elite strength training for professionals and amateurs.
However, it closed in 2015, and while there was talk of a charter school or car dealership moving into the space, neither of those two plans materialized and the building has remained unused.
