One of Rhode Island’s Original Brewery Spaces is Home to a New Tenant

Discipline Brewing Co opens in a Pawtucket mill with a rich beer history.

June 1, 2026

Lauren Clem,

Two men, one sitting and one standing, smile and hold beers on the loading dock of a red brick mill building.

Primary owners Tony Lustig and Sam Clidence outside Discipline Brewing Co, expected to open in Pawtucket in July. (Photo by Courtney Deary)

Many craft beer drinkers associate the industrial space on the corner of Carver and Main streets in Pawtucket — on the back of the same mill building that hosts Jordan’s Jungle, among other small businesses — with Smug Brewing, the brewery with a penchant for witty beer names that occupied the space for seven years before closing last August.

Those with a longer memory know it as the home of Bucket Brewery, one of the state’s original craft breweries that rode Rhode Island’s early local beer wave in the 2010s. Bucket was founded in 2010 and moved into the mill space in 2013.

Beginning next month, that space will be home to a new business looking to leave its mark on Rhode Island’s craft beer scene. Discipline Brewing Co is finishing up the licensing process and anticipates holding a grand opening in the space in early July.

The name is familiar to those who’ve followed the brewery’s opening saga. Originally conceived of in 2020, the business targeted several locations in South County before settling on the Pawtucket space. Primary owners Tony Lustig and Sam Clidence went so far as to seek town approvals to open at a former Harley Davidson dealership in Exeter before the announcement of President Trump’s tariffs in March 2025 changed the financial picture and caused their lender to back out. They had all but given up when Smug announced plans to close and put their brewery up for sale last August.

“We were familiar enough with the space,” Lustig says, noting the business took over the space in September.

Lustig and Clidence’s story follows the classic home brewer-to-brewery owner tale. Lustig is a musician by training who now works for Riverhead Building Supply, and Clidence is a woodworker and general contractor. Originally from outside Detroit, Lustig studied at Julliard and spent time in New York City before moving to Rhode Island, where his wife’s family is from, in 2018. Clidence (his wife’s cousin) kicked off the home brewing craze when he brought over a stovetop brewing kit to Lustig’s house one day.

“We quickly went from one small pot on a stovetop to converting my downstairs kitchen into a brew space,” Lustig says.

Today’s brewery is the culmination of six years of starts and restarts to bring their dream to life. Much like their chosen disciplines — Lustig’s primary instrument is the saxophone — brewing requires hard work and attention to detail. It’s a background they hope to bring to every aspect of the business, from the handmade mahogany sign outside — crafted by Clidence — to the name.

“The name Discipline came very much from our artistic disciplines of music and woodworking,” Lustig says.

Inside, visitors will find a layout that looks similar to Smug, but with several updates to the brewing area and bar. The business also took over a former gym next door, adding room for events and another 100-or-so capacity to the space. Like Smug, they’ll use the hallway outside as an overflow seating area. A mural painted by Creative Director Courtney Deary welcomes visitors to the space.

As for beer, Lustig and Clidence have hired Alex Roskowski, formerly of Revival Brewing Company, as head brewer. While they’re not ready to reveal their signature brews yet, Lustig says the menu will feature mainstays like a lager and a West Coast IPA as well as brews inspired by their family’s time spent on Hog Island in Narragansett Bay. The bar has twelve taps, and they plan to open with at least eight beers.

“I love dark German beer. That has a lot of influence on me personally,” he adds.

Despite the long road to get there, Lustig says they’ve felt welcomed in Pawtucket and look forward to being a part of the community. They’re not worried about the recent scattering of local brewery closings, or the larger downward trend in alcohol consumption. Breweries, Lustig says, have become de facto “community centers” in the modern era, and a distribution center planned across the street promises regular drive-by traffic.

“There’s no industry that can ever just grow. Beer on the decline in the grand scheme of beer doesn’t worry me,” he says. “We just hope to have a healthy, sustainable business that puts out exceptional beer.”

The owners are targeting a soft opening for friends and family in late June with a grand opening planned for the week of July 6. They plan to can and eventually distribute, though their current focus is on the taproom and getting their beer into restaurants. Events and live music are also in the works.

The brewery’s initial hours will be Monday–Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday from noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. disciplinebrewingco.com