Hidden Springs Tasting Room to Close in Tampa
Taproom and bar operators on Franklin Street should expect a shift in the hospitality mix as the building changes hands.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Openings & Closings
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Hidden Springs Ale Works will close its Tampa Heights tasting room at 1631 N Franklin St. after its final service on Sunday, December 20, while continuing to distribute cans and draft beer to grocery stores, bars and bottle shops. The building was acquired last August for $4.15 million by Channelside Partners LLC and Abacus Ybr LLC, which signals a shift in how the space will be used.
Why it matters
The building recently changed hands, and the new owners have a different model for hospitality than the brewery's tasting room, a change that reshapes what operators in this stretch of Franklin Street can expect. Hidden Springs said it chose to stay true to its craft and seek a space aligned with its roots rather than pivot away from what it loves.
The building sold for $4.15 million last August, and the tasting room that opened in September 2015 will serve its final guests on December 20, 2026. Adjusted hours before closing are Thursday 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
The players
Hidden Springs Ale Works
A Tampa craft brewery whose tasting room has operated at 1631 N Franklin St. since 2015 and which continues to distribute cans and draft beer to retail and bar accounts.
Channelside Partners LLC
A property entity that acquired the 1631 N Franklin St. building last August for $4.15 million alongside Abacus Ybr LLC.
Abacus Ybr LLC
A property entity that co-acquired the 1631 N Franklin St. building with Channelside Partners LLC last August.
Raj Patel
A Tampa real estate investor connected to the building's new owners who has been assembling property in the Channelside district since 2015 and serves as at-large chair of the city's Tampa Heights Riverfront Community Advisory Committee.
The details
Hidden Springs Ale Works announced the closure on social media, saying the tasting room will hold its last service on Sunday, December 20. The brewery will keep distributing its cans and draft products to grocery stores, bars and bottle shops, so the closure affects the on-site taproom rather than its wholesale business. The building's new owners, Channelside Partners LLC and Abacus Ybr LLC, are connected to Raj Patel, who began assembling property in the Channelside district in 2015.
Timeline
August 2025: Building acquired for $4.15 million by Channelside Partners LLC and Abacus Ybr LLC.
September 2015: Hidden Springs Ale Works tasting room opened at 1631 N Franklin St.
December 20, 2026: Hidden Springs tasting room holds its final service.
Market Landscape
Raj Patel began assembling property in the Channelside district in 2015, and the acquisition of the 1631 N Franklin St. building extends that consolidation into Tampa Heights. The 1600 block of Franklin Street already welcomed a new tea concept, and the Peppermint Lounge will soon follow under Rooster & the Till co-founder Ty Rodriguez.
Operators in the taproom and bar trade should watch how building sales in Tampa Heights reshape the mix of tenants on nearby blocks, since new owners can change what gets built. Businesses that rely on foot traffic along Franklin Street should factor in the shift from a brewery tasting room to a different hospitality model when planning their own lease and marketing decisions.
The takeaway
A change in ownership can quickly change the hospitality concepts on a block, so operators near Franklin Street should monitor new openings and building sales as signals for competition and foot traffic. Calendar December 20, 2026 as the date the tasting room closes and track whether the incoming Peppermint Lounge and other concepts reshape demand in the area.
What happens next
The Hidden Springs tasting room holds its final service on Sunday, December 20, 2026, and the Peppermint Lounge is scheduled to open on the 1600 block of Franklin Street.
Further reading
Track other shifts in the city's dining and drinking scene on the Tampa Openings & Closings page.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Creative Loafing: Tampa Bay.
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