TRVE Brewing Will Close This Month; Music City Hot Chicken Fate Undecided

TRVE Brewing Co., Denver's heavy metal brewery, is closing after nearly fourteen years on Broadway.

TRVE founder Nick Nunns shared the news on Instagram on July 3.

"It hasn’t been an easy choice, but this brewery has run its course and for a huge number of reasons it’s the right time to send this thing off into the lake trailed by a fiery arrow," Nunns wrote.

Nunns went on to share that he opened TRVE in 2011 with a goal of making some good beer and listening to music he liked. TRVE, located at 227 Broadway, has long been a haven for metal lovers and anyone who appreciates great tunes with brews, which are concocted by co-owner and head brewer Zach Coleman.

Last year, TRVE closed its production facility and moved operations to New Image Brewing in Wheat Ridge. The company had expanded to Asheville, North Carolina, as well, but it appears that location will be shuttered, too, according to Nunns's post.

"I am so sad that we are having to do this when the beer coming out of Asheville is some of the best you’ve made in your career," Nunns wrote to Coleman. "I hope your continued quest for perfection in your art never ends."

In response to Instagram comments, Nunns said TRVE is still trying to figure out if TRVE's beer distribution will halt as the brewery's taprooms cease operations.

TRVE will officially host its last day of service on July 12, so fans still have a little over a week to enjoy one last beer (or more) and a few more songs. Just minutes after Nunns's post went live mid-day, TRVE was busy with patrons talking about the brewery's closure.

"Ultimately, this brewery has provided me with things that cannot be measured by capitalism, no matter how hard that vicious and broken machine may fumble around with spreadsheets and ledgers and trying," Nunns wrote. "I am rich beyond measure in handshakes, high-fives and hugs."
Jennifer Hartman, logistics and brand manager for TRVE, says the community is what made TRVE special; while the taps may run dry, the memories will last, she says.

"It's just been such a beautiful, communal space for people," Hartman adds. "Most of us feel like we'll find something and move on from this in terms of employment but this was just such a beautiful, ephemeral space outside of our employment."

Hartman used to print T-shirts for many breweries, and says that even when she knew TRVE only by its merch, the brewery stood out.

"I could tell they're the shit because they have such a cohesive style," she recalls. "I remember the first time coming in, I was like, 'I knew this was the shit.' They just had such a good brand cohesion between the merch, the style of the beer, and the space that they created. It just felt good. It felt like fun. It felt like a place I wanted to be a part of before I even really understood what it was."

In 2021, the TRVE space gained a partner in Music City Hot Chicken, which serves up some truly tasty food within the space. Steven Skinner, general manager of Music City, says the chicken restaurant is hoping to work with the landlord of the Broadway location to take over the entire lease and stay open. Skinner calls the community at TRVE the "dysfunctional family we choose."

"I don't want the community that's been built within these walls to die and, if I have an opportunity to help save it, then I will," Skinner says.

While Music City figures out plans for the future, the restaurant is planning to close after July 12, along with the TRVE taproom.

Those wanting to reminisce can head to Instagram where, per Nunns's request, people are sharing their TRVE memories in the comments.