Hidden Springs Ale Works will pour its last pint at its Tampa Heights tasting room on Sunday, December 20, before closing the doors and searching for a new location. The brewery says its beer isn't going anywhere, even if the building is.
The urban-oasis brewery at 1631 N Franklin St., which opened in September 2015, announced the closure as it looks for a new home, according to Creative Loafing Tampa. Hidden Springs said it will remain in business, with brewhouse operations and wholesale distribution continuing without disruption, according to The Brewer Magazine. The brewery told followers that its cans and draft products will keep showing up at area grocery stores, bars and bottle shops while it searches for what it's calling its next forever home.
A Change In Ownership Behind The Move
Hidden Springs said the relocation follows a change in property ownership and a divergence in vision for the parcel's future, per the same report from The Brewer Magazine. The brewery itself said the building's new owners have a different business model in mind, and rather than pivot away from what it loves and who it is, it chose to stay true to its craft and seek out a space aligned with its roots, per Creative Loafing.
Hillsborough County Property Appraiser records, as reported by Creative Loafing, show that Channelside Partners LLC and Abacus Ybr LLC bought the building last August for $4.15 million. Those LLCs are connected to Raj Patel, who began assembling property in Tampa's Channelside district back in 2015 and now serves as at-large chair of the city's Tampa Heights Riverfront Community Advisory Committee, the outlet reported. Hidden Springs has also encouraged its followers to support its staff through the closure.
Last Call On Franklin Street
Until December 20, the tasting room plans to keep its usual rhythm: Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. The stretch of Franklin Street around Hidden Springs has been shifting lately. The Yellow Brick Row recently welcomed a new tea concept to the 1600 block, and the neighborhood will soon see the opening of the Peppermint Lounge, operated by Rooster & the Till co-founder Ty Rodriguez. Across the street, the Hail Mary sports bar — originally supposed to open last January — is still under construction, per Creative Loafing's reporting.
Part Of A Broader Tampa Bay Brewery Shuffle
Hidden Springs' move adds to a string of recent shakeups among Tampa Bay breweries. Tampa Bay Brewing Company's Ybor City taproom, one of Florida's oldest brewpubs at nearly 30 years old, was set to close in May, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Cigar City Brewing likewise announced it would leave its longtime Spruce Street location for Ybor City in 2026, with beer still being made and served on Spruce Street until the lease ends in March, Creative Loafing reported separately. That report noted Cigar City was expected to be housed inside Joey Redner's Cigar City & Mead at 1812 N 15th St.
Despite the churn, the regional industry isn't shrinking into irrelevance. A Tampa Bay Business Journal report found the region still home to more than 100 breweries despite closures, even as some operators adjust their business models. Craft breweries accounted for more than half of the Tampa Bay area's wholesale liquor sales between September 2024 and August 2025, according to the same Business Journal reporting as cited by Creative Loafing.
For now, Hidden Springs Ale Works is treating the Franklin Street closure as a pause rather than an ending. Its cans and draft beer will stay on shelves and taps around town even after the tasting room goes dark, the brewery says, as it hunts for a space that fits the identity it built over more than a decade in Tampa Heights.
