The kitchen at Double Branch Artisanal Ales (DBAA), the first business to sign a lease at the new Village at The Grove development, is finally open.
Travis Glenn and his wife Tammi (photo) are renting the space from DBAA co-owner Ryan Clarke and will manage the food side of the micro-brewery, which is called “Omnivorous.” Travis has been a general manager of various restaurants in his 30 years in and out of the business, including eight years at the Dark Horse Brewing Company in Marshall, MI.
Travis has been with DBAA since the day it opened, working as a bartender, but when the original kitchen manager backed out, he applied to take over.
That’s good news for the pub, which has weathered Covid-19, and the lack of a kitchen, from the day it opened. Travis says you could just see the money floating out the door as patrons stopped by for a beer on their way to dinner somewhere else. “It’s been a huge loss,” he says. “People pop their heads in and ask if we have food. I feel like I’ve turned away 30-35 people a day. It happens all the time.”
The menu at Omnivorous features wings, burgers and “good, honest, straightforward bar-type food” with some personal touches, like amazing Brussels sprouts. Everything is made from scratch, his brisket is smoked in-house, the burgers are smash-style and one of Travis’s goals is to have the best chicken wings in the area, with some unique sauces.
One of his fryers is dedicated to only vegan and gluten-free options, like French fries and those delicious Brussels sprouts.
DBAA has other plans as well. There’s a new brewer, Robert Hunt, who used to work at Tampa Beer Works, in charge of the beers. Ryan says they will continue to produce the wide variety of pilsener, IPA, Hazy and Sour beverages, including a soon-to-be released Grove Gold Florida pilsener, named after Grove developer Mark Gold.
Ryan also had added video and board games to the selection of entertainment, and is already hosting events like yoga, where an hour of Sunday yoga is followed by a beer. The first yoga class was held last month, drawing 23 people. And, while Omnivorous isn’t currently open on Sundays, adding brunch on the weekends also is being considered.
Ryan also would like to put together a Father’s Day beer festival.
“The (Covid) delays have definitely created challenges,” Ryan says. “We’re still very excited about the things coming to The Grove, like the container park, and the new apartments across the street, and looking forward to what this can be.”
For more information about Double Branch Artisanal Ales (5956 Wesley Grove Blvd.), call (813) 492-8800 or visit DBAA.com. — JCC
This is just some of the wide selection of craft beers at Florida Avenue Brewing. (Photo: Charmaine George)
The demand for craft beer in Wesley Chapel was already high and now the supply is pouring in.
In the span of a couple of months, not just one, but TWO craft breweries have opened in the ever-changing landscape of Wesley Chapel, one of the fastest-growing communities in the country.
First was Double Branch Artisanal Ales (DBAA), which was all set to open to the public as the pandemic hit, but Covid-19 restrictions had the craft brewery as to-go only until beer enthusiasts were allowed to be inside in late August. Double Branch finally held its official North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 10, and is now a permanent fixture in the revitalized Grove at Wesley Chapel’s The Village shopping district.
“We do get a lot of people who say they’ve come out this way to try it — those beer seekers,” said Double Branch general manager Sam Guyer, who, along with her husband, Cody, is one of the four owners.
Although it hasn’t even been open for a year yet, at the U.S. Open Beer Championship — one of the top three beer competitions in the country, according to its website — recently awarded DBAA’s Purple Floors & Dinosaurs IPA a gold medal in the New England/Juicy DIPA category. The name also was picked as the No. 2 overall favorite beer name, behind Menace To Sobriety, a New York craft beer.
Meanwhile, Florida Avenue Brewing Co. opened its doors on Oct. 5 (also after some pandemic-related delays), and is just a mere 15 minutes (about five miles) away from DBAA in the former space of Sports + Field on S.R. 56.
After an impressive renovation of that fitness facility, Florida Ave. is now a trendy date night locale that, in just two months time, has already seen more than 17,000 customers walk through its doors.
“What we hear a lot from guests is that they’re so happy there’s some (place to dine and drink) on this side of the (S.R. 56 overpass) and a little away from (Tampa Premium Outlets) because they don’t want to get in their car and wait 30 minutes to go half a mile,” says Florida Avenue co-owner and operator Anthony Derby. “But I also think they’re excited for something new and fun with craft beer.”
DBAA will have a kitchen soon to go with it’s funky variety of IPAs. (Photo: Mike Camunas)
Indeed, there has been a real boom of craft beer breweries throughout the Tampa Bay area, which now boasts more than 70 of them. They have helped make places like Dunedin, Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Seminole Heights in Tampa trendy places to grab a bite and a beer.
In Pasco County, there are now 11 craft breweries, with more on the way.
The influx of malls, stores, businesses and, of course, more residents in Wesley Chapel has raised the demand for more cool drinking destinations.
Both Guyer and Derby, who is part of the ownership group that also owns Brew Bus in Seminole Heights, say they are only building on the demand for craft beer that has been present in Wesley Chapel for a while.
The original Brass Tap opened in 2008 at The Shops of Wiregrass mall, whetting the appetites of local beer enthusiasts looking for more than just a cold Budweiser in a smoky bar.
Florida Avenue Brewing. (Photo: Charmaine George)
Derby said he has had a number of conversations with Brass Tap owner Jeff Martin, who is as familiar with the local beer scene as anyone.
“I talked to him numerous times when we were planning on picking our location, so I knew there were definitely pockets of craft beer enthusiasts up here in Wesley Chapel,” Derby says.
The growth in Wesley Chapel may lead to more breweries in the future, perhaps mirroring what Seminole Heights has experienced. In that trendy, older neighborhood, many young people began moving in, so new restaurants and bars, especially more craft beer breweries, emerged as places for them to spend their evenings.
When Derby and his partners wanted to create a second location, but with a different brand than their Brew Bus, they took polls from distributors about where the highest concentration of craft beer sales were.
One of the most popular answers? Wesley Chapel.
“My mother-in-law lives across (S.R 56) in the neighborhood, so I was always up here, say, for a Sunday dinner, making me very familiar with the area and, given how the area bloomed, it was a no-brainer,” Derby says. “We’re very excited to be here and even have Double Branch up the road, because what they’re doing there is awesome and why we have collaborated with them already.”
Florida Avenue and DBAA have created a special brew with a nod towards Wesley Chapel locals, or “Chappies.” (Photo: Mike Camunas)
That’s right. Florida Avenue and Double Branch have already put their hoppy heads together and created a special beer just for Wesley Chapel — “Chappie’s Life,” an American-style light lager that’s available at both locations, and honors the growing area that was once a trucker stop down at the end of Bruce B. Downs Blvd. or, as longtime locals called it, “The Road to Nowhere.”
Now, it’s the road to some innovative and tasty craft beers.
“This area does seem to have its charm, right?,” Guyer asked. “I mean, I have obviously heard that it used to just be cows grazing, and now we have all this stuff and — believe it or not — a real-life craft beer scene.”
The 2020 Neighborhood News Reader’s Survey chose The Brass Tap as the best local bar — Florida Avenue opened after the contest began — with DBAA coming in second. Here’s the top 5 vote getters:
(Photo: Charmaine George)
1 — The Brass Tap is more than just this year’s winner of our readers’ Favorite Bar in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel — because it had to stay closed (as all non-restaurant bars in Florida did) much longer than restaurant/bar combos, owner Jeff Martin and his crew have not only survived, but have come back strong after having to endure this year’s Covid-extended bar closure.
Therefore, it’s a true tribute to Jeff and his crew to be named this year’s Favorite Bar in our distribution areas.
2 — Double Branch Artisanal Ales is like a beer laboratory with how often they churn out new flavors and styles, and it’s a fun spot for a cold brew. Try the new Chappie’s Life light lager! When the kitchen opens, look out!
3 — Joe Whiskey’s is no longer a smoking bar and that may have something to do with this year’s best-ever finish in our Reader Survey. Smokers still have an outdoor patio and non-smokers can now enjoy karaoke four nights a week.
4 — The Basement on Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz also had its best-ever finish in this year’s survey, but the last we heard was that it is not going to re-open. We agree with the readers who voted for it about its cool vibe, so it’s a sad loss.
5 — Linksters isn’t trendy or hip, and that’s not a bad thing, it’s a great thing. It’s a small bar with friendly staff, a pool table, jukebox and cold beer while you catch a game on TV. Perfect!
The Next 8, in order of votes: The Bar, Chapel Cigars, Fat Rabbit, Glory Days, O’Briens, Peabody’s, Mulligans, Stonewood Grill.
With the possible exception of the hotel/tourism industry, there’s little doubt that the restaurant business was among the most Covid-affected industry sectors in Florida in 2020.
And, although many of the new eateries that opened in Wesley Chapel in 2020 were delayed by the pandemic, the past year was still one of the busiest for new restaurant openings in Wesley Chapel.
Among the new eateries that opened in 2020 in (and adjacent to) Wesley Chapel were the following:
Main Event — Yes, we realize that the bowling and entertainment center is more than “just” a restaurant, Main Event did host one of the first North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting events following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ pandemic-caused shutdown of just about everything here in the Sunshine State.
Double Branch Artisanal Ales — Again, Double Branch, located in The Village at The Grove of Wesley Chapel (above), doesn’t yet qualify as a “restaurant” — at least not until its kitchen opens — but it has offered pizzas from a food truck outside the craft beer brewery and should open a kitchen inside in 2021. Even so, enough of Wesley Chapel’s craft beer-crazed residents voted for it as their Favorite Bar in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel for it to finish in this year’s top-5 in that category.
Treble Makers— Another entertainment venue that opened in The Grove at Wesley Chapel during the early stages of Florida’s restaurant re-openings, Treble Makers was one of the few newcomers to register more than a blip with our readers, finishing as the 4th Favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel (see list, right) and Favorite American Restaurant in both of our distribution areas. if you haven’t tasted the coconut curry grouper, fried calamari or grilled filet mignon, you owe it to yourself to check out Treble Makers for a dueling piano show on Friday or Saturday night ‚ or anytime!
Rock & Brews — Considering how packed the place has been (even with social distancing) inside and out since the moment it opened, we were a little surprised that the first Tampa Bay link in this small chain (on S.R. 56) — inspired and owned in part by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of the rock group KISS — didn’t get any votes at all from our readers, until we realized that it didn’t open until a week before we shut down the voting. With great live music on the weekends and everything from unique bruschetta to sweet heat fried chicken on the menu, Rock & Brews will likely make our 2021 top-10 — and look for it to finish at least that high when I reveal my 2020 favorites in our next issue.
Florida Ave. Brewing Co. — Another hotly-anticipated entry that opened too late to receive reader votes this year, the former location of Sports & Field on S.R. 56 has a unique menu, with items like bibimbap bowls, Chinese sticky ribs and smoked gouda lobster mac & cheese, to go with more typical sports bar fare, an amazing craft beer selection, full liquor bar and private tasting rooms.
Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill — Again, Zukku-San opened too late to get any reader votes this year, but it is a beautiful new restaurant with a full liquor bar, great sushi and Japanese specialties (including the best tempura and chicken teriyaki we’ve had in years) and a true South Tampa vibe. Look for Zukku-San to register with our readers in 2021 and to finish very high in my list of faves this year.
Chuck Lager America’s Tavern — After years of failed attempts to improve the former PrimeBar location in the Shops at Wiregrass, the third location of Chuck Lager’s in the U.S. (and only one in Florida) brought in great food from the mind and kitchen of celebrity TV chef Fabio Viviani and a beautiful-looking new place for lunch and dinner that also opened too late to register with our readers (above) this year but will still make my list of Wesley Chapel favorites and will surely do just as well with our readers next year.
Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. — As a transplanted native New Yorker, I appreciate the “legit” kettle-boiled-then-baked bagels and “Brooklynized” water used for the bagels and coffee at this new favorite on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel, which could contend for “Favorite Breakfast” in our distribution areas with our readers next year.
Crumbl Cookie — Although it also opened too late to make a splash in this year’s Reader Survey, not since Nothing Bundt Cakes opened in the Shops at Wiregrass has any new dessert-only place created such a stir in our community. The decadent churro and s’mores cookies are our favorites of Crumbl Cookie’s rotating flavors so far.
GrillSmith’s offering of fresh fish dishes helped make it Wesley Chapel’s favorite.
1 — GrillSmith has been among the favorite restaurants in Wesley Chapel with our readers since the day it opened in the Shops at Wiregrass, but it was a little surprising for it to regain its top spot as the #1 in Wesley Chapel from 2018 (after finishing second to Bahama Breeze last year) with all the new places that opened.
Even so, it’s hard to argue with our readers on this one, as GrillSmith does have a great menu with a lot of variety that has been added over the years — including an increased choice of steaks, flatbreads, pastas and more.
I also believe that the fact that GrillSmith has added truly fresh “short trip” Florida fish and is one of the few local places that can surprise you with cobia, corvina or even amberjack, in addition to the more common grouper, snapper and mahi-mahi.
Plus, throw in its bottomless bubbles for weekend brunch, its expanded lunch menu and socially distanced bar area and prime location in the Shops and you’ll understand why GrillSmith’s return to the top spot isn’t that surprising at all.
2 — 900º Woodfired Pizza is more than just a “regular old pizza place,” although few do pizza any better. But its delicious tortellini della casa, pesto di Genovese and other pasta dishes make it so much more.
3 — Bonefish Grill is one of the few other choices for truly fresh fish in our area and there’s no doubt its now-open new location on S.R. 56 (with plenty of parking!) will help make it even more popular with our readers in 2021.
4 — Treble Makers was one of the first new restaurants to open in “The Chap” early enough in 2020 to register with our readers and its outstanding steaks, fresh fish and tuna (above) and dueling pianos entertainment will likely keep it high on this list for years to come.
5 — Bahama Breeze dropped a few slots this year when compared with last, but this island-themed eatery’s popular Jamaican, Cajun and American specialties, live music and indoor/outdoor bar areas featuring tropical drinks (above) are appreciated by our readers.
Wesley Chapel’s Jamie Hess envisioned a Grand Opening for his new dueling piano bar and restaurant TrebleMakers when that day came, which was supposed to have been in early June. He pictured hundreds of people lined up outside, loud singing and tons of laughter inside and an event to remember forever.
Covid-19 has thrown a wrench into those plans.
Hess still plans to open his doors in June as part of The Grove’s revival, but he’ll have to live with a more subdued opening, more of a ripple than a splash, with the big crowds replaced by scattered customers maintaining social distancing.
“It’s a shame,” Hess says. “Coronavirus has definitely changed it. We’ll open and be safe and smart, but we’ll have to hold off on the official grand opening until we’re fully released.”
While bars have to remain closed, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order that took effect May 4 for Phase I of reopening the state, Hess is classified as a restaurant.
A number of local businesses are nearing the finish line for being completed and open, like Double Branch Artisanal Ales brewery (above), but that will all depend upon the state’s new rules governing business openings and reopenings. (Photo: Charmaine George)
However, the Double Branch Artisanal Ales brewery, located right across from TrebleMakers in The Grove, also was planning to open around June 11. Unless there’s another executive order or phase easing the restrictions, Double Branch will be unable to make its debut that soon.
The same goes for F45 Training, the new fitness center in The Grove that is ready to open; DeSantis’ current order also is keeping gyms closed.
While area businesses that are up and running are feeling the sting from the current pandemic, there are many that, like Hess, were planning to open over the next few months but are now in limbo. Any new businesses may not see the benefit of opening in this environment, which limits the numbers of people that can be inside any location at one time, combined with mandatory social distancing.
Aldi, the popular discount grocer located on the corner of S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd., was expecting a spring opening and would already be open now if not for the virus.
Also on S.R. 56, Rock & Brews, the family restaurant founded by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS, looks ready to go, as does Main Event, the bowling and entertainment center that relies on large crowds interacting.
On the north side of S.R. 56, Aussie Grill by Outback is nearly complete (with Bonefish Grill also close to being ready and Carrabba’s Italian Grill also on the way).
“All of that stuff is pretty much ready to roll,” says Hope Kennedy, the CEO of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. “It’s just going to be a matter of how they open up.”
Kennedy says that while the actual buildings may be finished, another problem for the new businesses is being able to train their new employees.
“Everyone is going to have to figure out what they can and can’t do,” she says. “It’s a difficult situation for everyone.”
ZAXBY’S IS COMING: While businesses that are open or close to opening try to figure out the best course of action, a number of new projects are under way across Wesley Chapel, including some neighbors for the new Aldi store.
The strip of land between the western side of Costco and Wesley Chapel Blvd. —part of the Cypress Creek Town Center development on the south side of S.R. 56 — has a sign posted announcing that Tidal Wave Car Wash is coming soon, next to Aldi.
Immediately south of the 3,120-sq.-ft. car wash, plans for a Zaxby’s, a fast casual restaurant that specializes in chicken wings and fingers, as well as sandwiches and salads, were filed with the county in late February.
Founded in 1990 in Statesboro, GA, Zaxby’s has more than 900 locations in 17 states, mostly in the south. The Wesley Chapel location will have seating for 70 inside its 3,652-sq.ft. space.
And, just south of that, plans were filed April 9 for an 8,700-sq.-ft. commercial retail/office plaza, though none of the five potential tenants has been named.
On the north side of S.R. 56, work continues on a number of businesses located on the land between Bahama Breeze and the Hyatt Place Hotel. There are permitting requests by Zukku Sushi, Crumble Cookie, Charles Schwab and IVX Health, all filed in March and April. Eurowax Center and Woofgang Bakery & Grooming are also in the currently unnamed plaza.
We’re not sure if Crumble Cookie, which is opening in a 1,200-sq.ft. space, was misspelled in permitting or if it may actually be Crumbl Cookie, a popular cookie joint out west. They told us on Facebook they didn’t have any current plans for Florida but hope to soon, and to stay tuned. Hmmmm.
COMPLEX SITUATIONS: While retail and restaurants are all the rage in the Cypress Creek Town Center, two apartment projects also are in the works on the northern end of the development.
At the northeast corner of Sierra Center Blvd. and Garden Village Way (north of the Hyatt Place, alongside I-75), plans were submitted in March and April to build a 300-unit, three- and four-story multi-family community on 12.7 acres.
Named the Silverslaw Apartments, the site plan indicates the complex will have a dog park, yoga lawn and large areas of green space between the buildings, including a neighborhood park.
The Garrett Apartments are another project in Cypress Creek Town Center North with plans filed with the county.
The 11.84-acre project site is located east of CR 54/Wesley Chapel Blvd., a half-mile north of SR 54/SR 56. It will include 260 luxury apartment units.
Garrett has developed more than 50 apartment home projects in 14 states, for a total of more than 11,000 rental units, according to the project’s narrative. This will be Garrett’s third venture in Florida, as the developer also has projects in Davenport and Fort Myers.
(left to right) Sam Guyer, Ryan Clarke, Cody Guyer and Shashank Mishra hope to open Wesley Chapel’s first craft brewery, Double Branch Artisanal Ales, in December.
Friends and Wesley Chapel residents Ryan Clarke and Shashank Mishra, M.D., had both dabbled in making their own home brews, so it was only natural that when the two would hang out, craft beer was often not only the drink of choice, but also the topic of conversation.
One night, the conversation turned to the obvious – why not start our own brewery?
“We talked about it several times,” said Clarke, “We had the same thoughts and philosophy. Eventually the talks began getting more progressive.”
Those talks progressed to the point where, on June 6, 2018, the two founded Double Branch Artisanal Ales (DBAA), and in December Clarke and Mishra’s first craft brewery is expected to open at The Grove at Wesley Chapel.
The craft brewery will be Wesley Chapel’s first, and will operate in the “main street” area of The Grove. The 8,400-sq-ft. space will boast a 2,100-sq.-ft. production brewery, a 1,900-sq-ft. tap room, a 550-sq.-ft. outdoor patio and 1,850 sq. ft. of private event space.
It will offer a full spectrum of beers, from lagers to stouts to sours, but it’s first flagship beer will be called Chappie’s Lager.
“This will not only be a craft brewery, but something that offers the local culture of Tampa without having to drive 30 minutes,” says Clarke. “We have a large amount of nationally-syndicated restaurant concepts out here in Wesley Chapel, but not too many locally owned places. Wesley Chapel needs these type of things.”
Brew Bus Brewing, Inc., the company behind Florida Avenue Brewing Co. and Brew Bus Brewing, purchased the old Sports + Field site on S.R. 56 in May, with plans to transform the former sports training facility into a brewery and restaurant before opening in 2020.
Clarke and Mishra also think they could be part of something big, as The Grove at Wesley Chapel — hardly a bustling hotspot in recent years with all the expansion on S.R. 56 — was sold for $62.7 million to developers that they expect will reinvigorate the area by building additional homes and retail/restaurant.
Clarke and Mishra, who met at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel where Clarke is a nurse practitioner and Mishra is a Doctor of Internal Medicine, already had launched their plans. They actually announced DBAA on the brewery’s Facebook page months ago, but had to quickly take it down because The Grove wasn’t ready for the announcement.
Clarke takes pride in DBAA being Wesley Chapel’s first locally owned and operated craft brewery. He looked into the idea back in 2008, but couldn’t find the right situation. After finding the right financial backing, location and availability, he and Mishra were ready.
Because Clarke wanted a place that would become part of the community’s fabric, he chose Double Branch because it “related to the heritage of the area.”
The Wesley Chapel area was often referred to as “Double Branch” for the twin creeks that flowed through the property owned by the Boyettes, one of the area’s founding families. The Double Branch Church (now the First Baptist Church of Wesley Chapel) was the center of the community.
The area also became an area known for its share of moonshine stills and homebrews in the 1920s, which Clarke says the Double Branch brewery pays homage to.
DBAA, which is still waiting on a permit or two but hopes to begin construction on Monday, could be a major player in the transformation of The Grove, which is rumored to be readying for a number of significant changes.
DBAA will offer beer and wine on tap, a food truck-style kitchen (6-8 items), games and potentially, an outdoor beer garden.
Clarke and Mishra have hired head brewer Cody Guyer and his wife Sam, who will be the tap room manager. The couple just moved here from Iowa last week, and both also will be part owners of the endeavor.
Cody Guyer started his brewing career with a home kit he received from his sister for his 26th birthday, and since has worked as an assistant brewer in Iowa for Millstream Brewing Co. (located in Amana) and Barn Town Brewing in West Des Moines.
Cody says while DBAA will offer a few flagship styles, he is the experimental type and plans of brewing an assortment of revolving “fun-type” beers. “Whatever I feel like brewing at the time,” he says.
Cody will also pursue collaborations with other breweries, where ideas are exchanged via emails and implemented in a team process. While in Iowa, he worked on “collabs” with Mikerphone Brewing in Chicago, Wren House Brewing in Phoenix, Watermark Brewing in Stevensville, MI, and Pulpit Rock Brewing in Decorah, IA.
“It’s a great way to learn what other breweries around the country are doing,” he says.
As for what DBAA will be doing, Cody says just wait.
“It’s going to exciting,” he says. “I can’t wait to get started.”