Double Branch Artisanal Ales — Restaurant in Wesley Chapel

If I could give a negative star, I would. DO NOT plan your events here. What a complete, disorganized mess. One of the many things the Bride looks forward too is her bridal shower. We planned my soon to be daughter-in-laws bridal shower to be held at this venue. We did, like you should, planned months in advanced, picked a menu and time. We were told, we would be let in the venue at 9am to start decorating for opening at 11am and coinciding starting of bridal shower. We stood with balloon arches, plates, table decor, champagne glasses, outside of this venue until 11 when it was too open. Still not a soul there to let us in. Not only were we finally enlightened that no one knew we were coming because, Tammy, the manager quit the week before, but they did not have any of the food we had discussed. Who told us this? The cook who happened to be there at 10:00 and was in complete shock we were there. Poor guy, he was nice. He called the main person in charge of opening that day and we were told that they would be there in 30 minutes (10:30), we had some hope. We went to cracker barrel and ordered food (FYI, they are amazing and saved our butts!), went to world market and got champagne and thought, ok, we will make the best of it. At 11am, when they were supposed to open and said person would be there. No one, crickets, literally not a soul. WOW, you have 6 women standing outside, 2 hours, waiting on a venue you had book for over two months and the only person who knew was one lady. FYI, it's not easy to find a venue last minute where they can accommodate 30 people and allow you to brining in decor and food. So, we moved it to one of our houses. Needless to say, the poor bride, but we made the best of it. Bridal shower 2 hours late, change of food and drinks and venue change. However, you owe her a sincere apology. I will not...

I had the opportunity to drop-in this past weekend after moving back to the area recently. I saw that it was showing 'Reopening - Under New Ownership' after I was saddened to find it closed about a month or so (with all the poor reviews under the previous ownership--obviously, the second owner prior to the original from around 2022 had let it go, and the reviews documented the gradual decline). NEEDLESS TO SAY, I was pleasantly surprised and happy to report that DBAA is BACK! I found it refreshing and welcoming, and the IPA was delicious. We even stuck around for a bit and struck up a fantastic conversation with the new owner (Dee), who is passionate about restoring DBAA's place in the community and believes in it's success with it's customers. He had us try a few sours on tap that he was also excited to premiere (a mango based, and a coconut based)--I'm not a sour guy in particular but I found them both satisfying and true to their names. The coconut in particular leaned more towards a refreshing post-lawn-mowing sipper TBH. Either way, if you remember DBAA in it's infancy, or you witnessed the decline under the second owner (which I was thankfully absent for), YOU need to come check them out again TODAY! Dee and his team certainly deserve to make an impression on you and to become an enjoyable place to grab a pint or two while you're shopping in the area--especially after spending part of your day in the giant new Target that should be finished soon! Thanks for taking time to read my novel, and Cheers fellow brewery connoisseurs! And Thank you to Dee for chatting it up with us and showing that it's more than just a business to you, see you...

First off, the food is from another business within the same space, Omnivorous. Having both in the same space is confusing and actually takes away from the overall experience, thus the four instead of five stars.

Onto the beer! I tried two selections and a sample:

first I tried the peanut butter stout. It was delicious with the promised after taste of mellow nuttiness that wasn’t overpowering at all. A perfect balance. I do wish it had more body, a thicker tongue feel, but on the other end this could still be a stout that is enjoyed in the summer because it’s not quite a pint-sized feast like other stouts tend to be.

Second I tried a sample of the NEipa Vege*mite, and it was a beauty of an NEipa. It is a less potent competitor to Heady Topper, drinkable with a great finish, but not something the uninitiated should commit to.

Third, I committed to a pint of a West Coast ipa, Dangerous Weather. It was reminiscent of Jai Alai from Cigar City brewery. This West Coast ipa held up well with a great start and a strong finish. An ipa great to end a good day of work with.

The service at the bar was great. The bartender had actually tried the beers, and was knowledgeable along with having an honest answer about preferences. Cheerful, polite and professional, she made me feel welcome and wanting to come back again.

My only wish was that the drink menu was organized by types for the discerning eye and had descriptions of the different types of beer for the first time or new to market drinker.

All in all, great product, good people, yet a confusing partnership with...