USA, FL: Hoppy Brewing Company announces closure in December

Four friends who shared the dream of opening a microbrewery and taproom together and then made it a reality 2 1/2 years ago are planning to turn off its taps and shut the doors, The Florida Times-Union reported on October 14.

Historically Hoppy Brewing Company, at 1636 North Main St. in the heart of historic Springfield, will close when its lease expires in December, the founders/owners announced on social media on October 12.

"As we come up to our lease renewal, we've reflected on the time and energy it takes to keep the brewery running and beer in the kegs, and have decided it's no longer something we want to continue," they posted on Facebook.

Ryan and Brianna McFarland and Aaron and Natalie Leedy — avid craft brewers as well as Springfield neighbors — opened the microbrewery in May 2022. They couldn't be reached immediately for comment about the pending closure.

Historically Hoppy had moved into the storefront formerly occupied by national award-winning Main & Six Brewing Company, which closed permanently in March 2022 after four years in business.

In announcing the pending closure, they said it was their dream to open a brewery and "we've had a ton of fun" doing it but their priorities have changed.

"While we're sad to let the brewery go, we're all excited to have more time to spend with our families and pursue our other hobbies. We also plan to go back to home brewing, so for those who know us, our beers aren't going away forever," they posted.

They haven't set the last day but it will be in December.

"We still have a couple more beers we are going to brew and we have a ton in the tanks and kegs, so our plan is to make the best of the next couple months and have a final party sometime in December," they wrote.

Customers responded on social media with words of gratitude and support.

"Sad to see you go, but I know all of you were [burning] the candle at both ends and the middle. You gave it your all though, and your support for Springfield was second to none!" one man posted.

Another wrote: "This is very sad news for those of us who just got to saunter in and enjoy your great beers and cozy space without having to put any of the work in. You will be terribly missed!! Springfield was very fortunate to have such a marvelous venue staffed by lovely folks."

All brewed on-premises at the rear of the taproom, Historically Hoppy typically offered 11 beers on tap at any given time.

Historically Hoppy also offered craft, non-alcoholic root beer made in-house.

"We want to make what we want to make and put fun products out there that people enjoy. It's our goal to have a representation of beers across the spectrum with our own special touch on them," Ryan McFarland told the Times-Union when Historically Hoppy opened.

Aaron Leedy and Ryan McFarland, homebrewers for 13 years and 4 years respectively, became fast friends and within a couple of months, they began brewing together. After their first batch, McFarland said they should open a brewery together, they previously told the Times-Union.

"We would make 5-gallon batches once a week almost every week," McFarland said of their home brewing hobby that began in his kitchen and eventually expanded to other parts of his home.

Both couples had multiple refrigerators at their homes dedicated to their brewing efforts.

"It was just a fun novelty that we all enjoyed and then we started down this path to opening our own microbrewery," Natalie Leedy previously told the Times-Union.

The couples had been looking for brewing equipment as well as a location to start their microbrewery for about 2 1/2 years. Then Main & Six announced it was closing — opening the door for Historically Hoppy to lease the space and begin brewing.

Historically Hoppy will become the sixth Jacksonville-area microbrewery and taproom to close in recent months.

The others include:

• A1A Ale Works restaurant and taproom at 1 King St. in St. Augustine closed permanently in August after 24 years in business. It had stopped brewing in 2017.
• Hyperion Brewing Co. at 1744 N Main St. in Springfield closed in March after more than six years
• Brewer's Pizza, the home of Pinglehead Brewing Company, at 14B Blanding Blvd. in Orange Park, closed last November after 14 years
• Lemonstreet Brewing Co., at 2100 Dennis St. in Jacksonville's Rail Yard District, closed last December after four years
• Tabula Rasa Brewery, at 2385 Corbett St., also in the Rail Yard District, closed last August after five years

15 October, 2024