Jeff and Susan Green opened Very Nice Brewing Company (VNBC) during a very tumultuous time for the world of craft beers. “To understand Very Nice, it’s important to understand where craft was in 2012. Just the fact that we are ten years old with the same brewer makes us unique,” says Green.
Driven by the independence of owning their own business and the allure of the mountains, the Greens took their passion for the craft and opened VNBC in Nederland ten years ago. At the time, amateur brewers were opening breweries in a much different financial landscape than had industry pioneers like Oskar Blues and New Belgium.
“The capital that you see available in craft brewing was only there for a few of the more established breweries. As a result, it seemed most breweries at the time were started like we were: taking what we had and making it work.” And that was the literal course of action needed to be taken by the Greens in order to make VNBC a reality.
Jeff was a validation/quality engineer in the Biopharma/Medical Device field, and Susan had a career in commercial real estate in Denver before they decided to invest their retirement fund to chase a dream and start their business.
Jeff Green further states, “It was a decision that could have gone very wrong. It was terrifying, certainly, but we had faith in our Midwest work ethic and I knew if it didn’t work out, it wouldn’t be because we hadn’t given it our all.”
Green’s love of the craft had soon become a singular focus and eventually drove him to pursue independent brewing as more than just a care – a lifestyle. He’s been VNBC’s sole brewer since 2012, and though such tenure is a rarity in the industry, it has been a huge benefit to VNBC’s success by allowing him the freedom to develop his skills.
“It’s the rule of 10,000 hours: you practice anything for that long, you become very good at it. And I think you taste those 10,000 hours of brewing with every sip of Very Nice beer,” he shares.
VNBC has brewed over 1,000 small batches of beer. Because of the small batches, the beer is always fresh except for beer that is intentionally aged. By working in smaller batches, that allows Green to experiment and to truly hone the flavors of his product. VNBC’s uniqueness lies in the mastery involved in producing flavorful perfection in a wide variety of styles of beer.
“Brewing beer is a combination of art and skill that only evolves through the unique experiences, inspirations, and passions of the brewer. We are as different as musicians, poets, painters, and art creators of all sorts are from each other.”
With an artful style driving their brewing process, VNBC operates in the true spirit of independence, with their focus remaining on the beer and on the community they serve. For Jeff and Susan Green, their mission statement is maintaining their authenticity and repaying the gift of their total acceptance here in Nederland.
“I get to connect with my community, visit with folks from all over, and proudly serve my husband’s creations,” Susan Green remarks,as she talks about how tending the bar is her favorite part of owning VNBC.
“Our brewery exists first and foremost on the joy that results from community gathering around the ancient art of beer and the institution of the neighborhood pub,” Jeff Green elaborates. “People from all walks of life gathering and forgetting about their differences and embracing commonalities.”
VNBC’s flavors are mostly exclusive to their tap house in Nederland, but can also be found at Mid-County Liquor in Gilpin County, as well as at Crosscut Pizza, Ned’s, and the Caribou Room. Though they only occasionally distribute to a few tap houses and liquor stores that are farther away, the Greens prefer it this way, as they prefer to have regulars and aficionados alike come in and talk to them face to face.
“We are always open to ideas and most importantly, criticisms. It’s mainly the criticisms that have allowed us to evolve and become better at what we do. We wouldn’t get that from distributing in faraway regions.”
And soon there may be a second location where one can enjoy their creations, as VNBC is currently in the process of building a new brewery and tap room in Gilpin County. Though a second location will result in a wider distribution of their product than exists currently, the focus will still be on the beer and on the community, with their second facility only ensuring that VNBC is here to stay.
“This is not to say we will be leaving the Nederland location,” Jeff Green reiterated. “Our blood, sweat, and tears are in our current taproom and leaving it would be devastating for Susan and me. We will be in Nederland as long as it is economically feasible.”
VNBC has not only endured the erratic ebbs and flows of their industry, but the drastic changes caused by the COVID pandemic. COVID has forced them to bottle more of their product than normal and has caused VNBC to see a drop in attendance, as well as having raised the cost of production as a result of supply chain issues.
Though it has been difficult, the Greens remain vigilant in returning to what makes their business thrive, which is face-to-face, communal interaction. And though the financial strain has been difficult, their focus has never strayed from what is best for their community.
“Keeping our pints affordable to locals is sacred to us. We have had only one price increase in ten years. I think we surprise a lot of folks when they get their bill, considering what the average craft pint is costing these days. We just feel that we can’t be the local brewery if the locals can’t afford the beer.”
VNBC also yearns for restrictions to be loosened to allow live music to thrive in their tap room once again.
“I’d like to give a shout out to musicians like Doug Brightwood, Tom Hall, Eric Stone, Dan Williams, The Gael, Chip from DAM liquor, and a few others that I apologize for not being able to think of off the top of my head.” Green said. “They have put up with restrictions that no artist should ever have to deal with. They have made sure that live music has not completely disappeared from VNBC during these weird times.”
Very Nice Brewing Company is open Wednesday to Sunday each week.
Very Nice Brewing Company is located at 20 Lakeview Drive #112 in Nederland, CO. You can follow them online at https://www.verynicebrewing.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/verynicebeer/. You can contact VNBC at (303) 258-3770 or through their website.
Sponsored by the Town of Nederland, with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
