Trve is A study in contrasts—the intimidating taproom environment and brusque branding starkly contrast with their approachable and sessionable beer and the warm and friendly demeanor of Founder Nick Nunns. But that edge—confounding expectations or assumptions and pushing people to engage more directly with each other and the beer—is what makes the brewery such a powerful idea. It’s not a brewery that wants to be everything to everybody, and that’s exactly how Nunns likes it.
“I never wanted to be just another taproom in town. I want to be the one that people are either like, ‘Oh fuck, this place is weird and cool, and I love it,’ or they’re like, ‘It’s scary. I’m going to go now.’ We get a handful of Iowans who take two steps in and peel out pretty quick,” says Nunns.
“We chose to make [our brewery] a different experience. And as such, we have latched onto a totally different subset of people who want to come in here, and those people are diehard fans.