Here’s the third installment of our “Get To Know Your Brewer” series [click through to meet Armando DeDona of Long Live Beerworks and Josh Letourneau of Grey Sail]. Today we’re headed to Pawtucket to talk with Nichole Pelletier, brewmaster and co-owner [with Jason Laurenco] of Crooked Current Brewery, the winner of the 1st Annual B&C Favorite Rhode Island Brewery Poll [and here’s some CC history from the late, lamented Providence Phoenix].

When did you start homebrewing? And what was the impetus to make the leap from homebrewing to establishing Crooked Current?

I began homebrewing about five years ago. The reception from friends and family was fantastic. I have always been good at cooking [as Jay likes to say, there’s an extra 50 pounds on him that wasn’t there prior to meeting me], so most didn’t seem surprised that when the time came it also carried over to beer production. I was the most surprised as I am always my own worst critic. Again, to quote Jay, who loves just about everything I make, he frequently says that in my mind, “Perfection is always just out of reach.”

What’s the biggest misconception people have about the life of a brewer?

The biggest misconception is that it is glorious. Sure, drinking it is glorious, but making it is extremely labor-intensive. At the end of the day, Jay and I are covered in grains…sore from lifting and bending…and maybe even sporting a burn or two from wayward boiling water, hot kettles, or other equipment.

Is brewing a full-time job now?

Brewing has been a full-time job since day one. I just added it to my other full-time job [at a biotech company]. What? Not everyone has two full-time jobs?

Have you ever hit upon a keeper of a beer as the result of a happy accident? Something that shouldn’t have worked, recipe-wise, but did?

I can’t honestly say that I’ve happened upon a beer style. This is due to the careful planning that must go into creating a brew schedule when dealing with a brewery as small as ours. Our batches are so small that we are always taking measures to ensure we don’t run out. This is the main reason we are not in wide distribution or open more days at the brewery; we are always in a race to just to ensure we are fully-stocked on Saturdays. It makes for wonderfully fresh beer for customers at any given time, but it also all but eliminates any chance for wild experimentation. All of my recipes are meticulously constructed long before the kettles are fired up. Tweaking may very well be required after, but never a complete surprise.

Do you have a favorite Crooked Current beer?

This is sort of like asking a parent to choose a favorite child, but the oatmeal raisin stout has been a tremendous fan favorite so I’m going to use the opportunity presented in this line of questioning to announce that it is in the process of returning on a permanent basis. It is our only seasonal that has ever returned for an appearance in the off-season so for the purposes of this discussion, I’d say it’s accurate to declare the oatmeal raisin stout as my favorite.

What’s the best reaction you’ve ever gotten to a beer?

We released the oatmeal raisin stout at the Rhode Island Brew Fest in January. We were amazed at the number of people foregoing the seemingly endless list of other beer choices present that day in order to jump back in line for more oatmeal raisin stout. I can think of no greater form of compliment in the beer world. That was our first sign that we may be on to something with this particular style.

What are your goals at Crooked Current? Is expansion on the horizon?

While being so small makes for a hectic brew schedule, we currently have our heels dug into our present location. We feel it is worth the tradeoff in our sanity to ensure our customers are only consuming beer fresh out of the tank at any given moment. We don’t have a crystal ball, so we leave all options for the future open, but for now we’re hunkered down in position.

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