Women of Beer: Cheri Kueven

Cheri Kueven: Birmingham District Brewing Company

Birmingham, Alabama

By: Kerri Allen

 

A small craft brewery in Birmingham is quickly gaining a reputation for producing some of the best beers in the city. Birmingham District Brewing Company resides on the Birmingham Downtown Beer Trail, close to many other breweries in town. According to co-owner Cheri Kueven, the taproom pays homage to the steel industry in Birmingham, and the name references the area where the steel components are located in the city. 

Cheri Kueven is one of seven owners of Birmingham District Brewing, and six of the owners are family members - Cheri and her husband, their two children and their spouses. The final owner with a small share is a family friend.  

Breweries Create Many Tasks

Cheri's official title is Vice-President of Accounting and Compliance, but anyone who has spent time in a brewery knows she does so much more - from cleaning to bartending. According to the brewery's taproom manager, Victoria Crenshaw, “Cheri is hands-on and fun to work with. She is not only always open to new ideas and thoughts from staff, but I frequently find her engaging with customers, finding out their stories, and being a welcoming presence in the taproom. She is incredibly organized and simply takes care of things, often without us realizing it! Since becoming taproom manager, I have a greater appreciation for all the work that Cheri does behind the scenes to make this place what it is.”

Not new to owning a business, Cheri and her husband owned their own IT business back in the day. She says, “As we traveled to seminars, meetings, and trainings, we discovered craft beer. I especially loved stouts. Since a lot of great craft beer was not available in our home state of Mississippi at the time, my husband started homebrewing. When our daughter got engaged, her fiancé, already a craft beer drinker, saw our brewing equipment, got interested, and he and his future father-in-law brewed together. We had all experienced craft breweries and loved the concept, atmosphere, and feeling whenever we visited." Jokingly, the family would often talk about opening a brewery. Then one Thanksgiving, the idea came up again, and the decision was made. Birmingham District Brewing was conceived.

 A Taproom with a Family Feeling

When asked what she loves most about being a part of a brewery, Cheri replies, “What I love is the opportunity to be behind the bar, pouring beer and meeting people. I relish hearing from customers about why they visited, listening as they share parts of their lives with me, and introducing patrons to our brewery, our beers and us. It feels like opening up my home to guests. And, when we have events, it seems like all of our customers have come to a party that my family threw.” 

Cheri also notes that the brewing industry “is full of camaraderie and generally helpful people who love good beer.” She goes on to say, “We all want other breweries to succeed because good breweries bring new converts to the art who actively seek out the next beer to try and the next brewery to visit.”

 

Adding to the Community

In addition to recognizing the steel industry roots in its hometown, Birmingham District Brewing supports its community in many other ways. Cheri explains, “To fit in with the community in general, we regularly host events for non-profit groups like animal shelters, the medical community, kids’ groups, the public library and zoo. Further, we donate merchandise to organizations to help with off-site fundraisers, like silent auctions and raffles. To boost the craft beer industry in Alabama and let people know about us, we participate in multiple beer fests and other tasting opportunities.” 

Birmingham District Brewing is quickly becoming known as one of the city’s best breweries. Cheri expounds, “The taproom is the vehicle for getting folks in so they can try the beers. Our goal is to be a welcoming spot with activities that invite people to come out and spend some time with us. We encourage people to reserve space, free of charge, for their own personal celebrations, remembrances, work meetings, etc. It is so fun to see people celebrating birthdays, weddings, an upcoming baby or watching workers meet up to plan and bond.”

Challenges Lead to Rewards

Cheri admits that running a small business is her biggest challenge. She notes, “We own a small business in a highly regulated industry with lots of license hurdles to maintain. Brewing the beer, packaging and pouring is the fun part!”

When asked why women are important to the industry, Cheri responds, “Women are vital to this industry just as anyone knowledgeable and talented is. We celebrate the women in the brewing industry, not to create a gender divide, but to ensure that we are creating an industry that is looking for talent, commitment, and drive in all genders.”

Cheri extends a strong, heartfelt invitation for anyone headed to the Birmingham area to stop by the brewery and try her beers. She says there is always something going on and, of course, great beers on tap. She points out that Oktoberfest ranks as her favorite time of the year, and the brewery's Oktoberfest Marzen always tastes wonderful.