"It'll bring different people to town," Bow town manager David Stack told the Concord Monitor in May, as Hoptimystic Brewing's beer garden got started on South Street. "They may look around and see there are other opportunities to develop in this area."
Four months later, that second sentence matters more than the first. The beer garden at 516 South Street, near Exit 1 off Interstate 89 and the public library, has done what it promised. Picnic tables, wood-fired pizza and a rotating tap list gave Bow a place to sit with a drink. Before, that meant driving to Concord or Hopkinton. It still runs out of two modified trailers, though, and the reason has less to do with the business than with the water under that stretch of South Street. The town is now paying a consultant to study exactly that question.
The Last Weekends of a First Season
The garden opened as a May-through-October operation, and October is here. Hoptimystic's own site currently lists these hours for the Bow location:
- Wednesday and Thursday: 4 to 8 p.m.
- Friday: 3 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday: noon to 9 p.m.
- Sunday: noon to 7 p.m.
Earlier announcements from 900 Degrees and the Manchester Ink Link listed Friday as noon to 9 p.m., so check before planning a Friday lunch.
The beer comes from Hoptimystic's brewery in Enfield, and the company also runs a tasting room in Sunapee. The pizza comes from a separate trailer run by 900 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, the Manchester restaurant owned by Priscilla Lane-Rondeau. The menu runs from a classic Margherita to a S'mores dessert pizza. Saturday evenings have usually brought live music. Kevin Horan played from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on October 3. The Oktoberfest promotion that started with a September 20 block party, with $5 mug refills, ends today.
No one has announced a final day. Bow's Business Development Commission recorded in its August 5 minutes that the business was "performing well," helped by good weather and support from the Police and Fire Departments. The plan was "to continue operating through October and then reassess options for constructing a permanent facility at the site." So the remaining October weekends close out the season, and they also come right before a decision.
Why a Brewery Plan Became Two Trailers
Dan and Kelly Thomas never meant for this to be a trailer operation. Their original proposal was a brewery and restaurant. It called for a 2,500-square-foot first floor with a tasting room and restaurant, and a slightly smaller brewery in the basement. The Monitor reported that "those plans were derailed by water-capacity limitations at the site."
The Town's records show how much work went into the permanent version first. The Zoning Board granted a variance for a microbrewery at 516 South Street in July 2023. In October 2024 the Planning Board conditionally approved a site plan change for Bow Mills Brewing, LLC, doing business as Hoptimystic Brewing. The approved plan was phased, with a pop-up food unit as Phase 1 and a 2,464-square-foot brewery and restaurant to follow. Teddy Fulton, managing partner of the 900 Degrees Bow location, said the project took three years to bring to life.
A brewery uses a lot of water, and South Street has a long-standing water problem. In a separate June story, the Monitor reported that water quality in the area "has long fallen short of minimum safety standards." The paper called that a problem that has hindered development and discouraged businesses from setting up shop. The trailers let the Thomases open without solving that problem first. Stack noted that without a permanent structure, the garden doesn't yet do much for the town's tax base.
The Study That Sits Underneath the Decision
Hoptimystic's site sits inside the 175-acre Bow Mills Mixed Use Zoning District. The Town is trying to answer the same question for that whole district that the beer garden ran into on one lot: is it worth bringing municipal water to this area, and what could be built with or without it?
The money behind the study is modest and spelled out:
| Piece of the Bow Mills study | Amount |
|---|---|
| Estimated total cost | $104,530 |
| Federal grants from the Northern Border Regional Commission | $52,265 |
| Town match from the Bow Business Corridor TIF fund | $30,735 |
| Remainder | In-kind work by town staff and volunteers |
The study would look at drawing water from town wells. Stack said in June that "the planning for bringing any water up is on hold until we see what the results of that study are."
Here is how the timelines line up, in order:
- October 17, 2024. The Planning Board's approval says "Phase 2 should commence after 2 consecutive seasons" and that "building permits should be applied for no later than January 2027."
- July 14, 2026. The Select Board votes 5-0 to give the Bow Mills Redevelopment Strategy contract to Resilience Planning & Design, LLC.
- Late July 2026. The consultant holds a kickoff meeting, starts reviewing earlier studies and visits the area. The commission expects outreach to property owners, the public and Town boards.
- September 28, 2026. A Town notice describes the study as a practical redevelopment roadmap. Its scope includes existing conditions, water and other infrastructure feasibility, redevelopment scenarios and community engagement.
- Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 5 to 6 p.m. The Drinking Water Protection Committee has the Bow Mills study on its agenda as new business. The Bow Junction water-main extension is listed as old business.
- Winter 2026–27. The report is expected sometime this winter. The August minutes said "by Town meeting." The September 2 minutes, not yet approved, said "around December or January."
Put the first and last items next to each other. The permit window in the 2024 approval and the expected study report both land around the turn of the year. The owners' own website still describes a permanent brewery as being in planning. The Town's records say the owners will reassess after October. None of these documents says how it will turn out. A permanent building at 516 South Street is undecided.
What Else Is Moving Near Exit 1
The beer garden isn't the only business idea on this side of town that depends on infrastructure. The same August commission minutes note that no development plans have been filed for 12 Logging Hill Road. The developer is working with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation on driveway permits, and the minutes mention a possible warehouse and distribution center along with "the possibility of a restaurant/coffee shop."
The beer garden's closest neighbor on South Street is Chen Yang Li. The Monitor described the Chinese restaurant as having long been Bow's only dining option. For years it was the whole local dining scene. Whatever the Bow Mills study finds about water will shape how many places end up joining it on that stretch.
The Rest of Bow's October
The beer garden's last weekends overlap with a busy month on the town calendar:
- Scarecrow contest, October 5 to 31. Bow Parks & Recreation's contest is open to all ages, businesses, organizations and groups. Roadside scarecrows go up starting tomorrow, and winners will be announced October 30. A trailer-and-picnic-table scarecrow would fit right in on South Street.
- Bow Young at Heart 50th anniversary, October 14. 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bow Old Town Hall.
- Household Hazardous Waste Day, October 17. Bow and Dunbarton's collection runs 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 12 Robinson Road.
- Trunk or Treat, Sunday, October 25. 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Bow Community Building, 3 Bow Center Road.
- Apple Jamboree and pumpkin patch party, October 30. 6 to 8 p.m., from the Early Fall 2026 Parks & Recreation brochure.
Nicole Casey, a Bow resident of ten years, told the Monitor on her first visit that she liked sitting at a picnic table. The garden’s Sunday hours also leave families time to pair a visit with Trunk or Treat on the 25th, which runs from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
The Bow Mills study will shape what South Street looks like over the next several years, and that includes whether this corner of town gets more places to eat and gather. If you own near Exit 1 or are thinking about how this district could change, Michelle Gannon follows these Town meetings closely and is glad to walk you through what the study's findings could mean for you. Contact Michelle to discuss your next move.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.