Hobbs Tavern celebrates 10-year anniversary, opens upstairs lounge

The taven resides in a landmark Victorian farmhouse, built by namesake O.P. Hobbs, in 1885. (Courtesy photo)

WEST OSSIPEE - Hobbs Tavern & Brewing Company will celebrated 10 years of business at 2415 White Mountain Highway last. The West Ossipee brewpub opened for business on April 14, 2014, and has been serving classic comfort food and handcrafted beer at the foot of the White Mountains for a decade.

The taven resides in a landmark Victorian farmhouse, built by namesake O.P. Hobbs, in 1885. The Hobbs family has deep roots to the settling of the United States--O.P.'s great-grandfather was Nathaniel Hobbs, a captain in the Revolutionary War and friend to George Washington and General John Stark of Vermont, the latter who, in his letter of regret to an invitation to celebrate the victories of the war, penned the now-famous line: "Live free or die, death is not the worst of evils."

Business partners and industry veterans Ash Fischbein and Rob Finneron purchased the building in 2013 and, after an extensive 14-month renovation that included all new floors, bars, and an upgraded kitchen, opened to the public in April of 2014.

The Tavern's 7 BBL brewhouse was completed in August the same year, allowing Hobbs beers to be brewed on-site and served from tank to tap. In 2016, Hobbs purchased a canning line and began packing and self-distributing 12 oz. cans in the state of New Hampshire. The same year, Hobbs took home the Bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival for their One Arm Farmhouse Ale, earning Silver for the same beer in 2017. In October 2020, Hobbs shifted much of the brewing and all the packaging operations to a second location in Ossipee--a 15BBL brewhouse and production space 11 miles south at ­­765 NH RT-16, but still maintains brewing in the Tavern brewhouse for flagship and pilot beers poured at The Tavern.

On Monday Hobbs celebrated its 10 years + 1 day with the official Grand Opening of The Hayloft at Hobbs Tavern, a casual pizza and wings concept that launched in February located in the second-floor hayloft of the Tavern building.

The Hayloft features a separate bar and dining space, hosting live music and comedy nights, and offers local delivery--the only restaurant in the area to do so.