Owners of Brewery 401 believe they have recipe for success

PAWTUCKET - The planned opening of a third brewery in the city this week easily solidifies Pawtucket as the "craft brew capital of Rhode Island," say those behind it.

Brewery 401 will officially open on Thursday in a small space previously occupied by the Bucket Brewery in the Lorraine Mills, at 560 Mineral Spring Ave. The owners even purchased the equipment previously used by the Bucket owners when they were here.

Brewery 401 President Jason Lourenco says he and brewmaster Nicole Pelletier, his girlfriend, see no reason why their venture can't have the same kind of rapid success as the Bucket Brewery. All indicators from the stories of the Bucket and Foolproof Brewing are that Pawtucket has the right ingredients for a good brewery to succeed, he said.

Lourenco and Pelletier, who live in West Warwick, have been creating brews at home for years, and they say the success of those home brews is a significant reason why they think they'll be embraced right from the beginning. While many fledgling brewers struggle to get it right early, with a "huge learning curve," these two have been spot-on with each of their brews from the beginning, according to Lourenco.

"We've yet to ruin a batch," he said.

Though a number of new breweries have opened in Rhode Island the past few years, and there is a great deal of energy in the local craft beer scene, Lourenco and Pelletier believe the market is far from saturated in craft beer, and there is more than enough room for them to jump in.

"Rhode Island is still small compared to what other places have for craft breweries," said Lourenco.

Though the 350-square-foot brewery space at 560 Mineral Spring Ave. easily makes Brewery 401 the smallest brewery in Rhode Island, said Lourenco, he and Pelletier expect added fermenting containers will give them greater capacity for growing their volume of beer while they're here.

Brewery 401 brews will initially be sold in five-gallon kegs, said Lourenco. Bottles and perhaps cans will come with later expansion.

He and Pelletier, formerly a chef by trade, are planning to offer various pilsners, either a raspberry or strawberry wheat beer, and are working on a recipe for a chocolate peanut butter porter, among others.

As brewmaster, Pelletier's passion for creating "delicious concoctions" will make Brewery 401 easily visible on the craft beer scene, said Lourenco.

Both Lourenco and Pelletier plan to leave other jobs as Brewery 401 grows and expands. This is their dream, said Lourenco, and they're committed to making it happen.

For more on Brewery 401, visit www.brewery401.com .