Its great to hear you might be starting a nanobrewery in the near future! I wish you the best of luck. Now to answer your questions
2) New Hampshire does allow for self distribution. I'm not sure that I would have started a one barrel brewery if I had to go through a distributor, but maybe I still would have. Self distributing is very nice. Most of the stores that carry my beer are within 20 minutes of the brewery. I spend a bit of time and gas making deliveries, but I get to pocket the 30% markup that the distributors would have taken. An added benefit is that I have a personal relationship with the store owners. They call me when they need more product, and they hand me cash or a check when I make deliveries. They relay customer feedback to me, which is very helpful. If you can self distribute, I strongly recommend you go that route.