In the latest installment of Brewbound’s A Round With – a weekly Insider-exclusive Q&A series with industry leaders – Leah Cheston tells us about craft beer in the nation’s capital and helping to steer the segment toward stability.
Cheston is the co-owner of Right Proper, a 10-year-old brewpub in Washington, D.C., and the chairwoman of the Brewers Association (BA) board of directors, a title bestowed upon her last month after several terms as a director. Right Proper is expanding to a new location, and produced 3,257 barrels, a +25% increase, in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available from the BA.
You’re running a brewpub in the heart of a major American city. How has business been? How does it compare to your post-COVID expectations?
Leah: The on-premise side has been really challenging. Business still hasn’t rebounded back to pre-COVID levels. I’ve had to let go of any expectations so many times – it’s hard when you know you have a business model that works, but there are so many external factors that seem to be out of your control.
It feels like we’re working harder than ever for less return. It takes more marketing efforts, more outreach, more innovative events and promotions, and you have to do it with less staff. It can be exhausting and a little disheartening. But you just keep going. Having a strong, passionate team that’s dedicated to making it work helps. I think this year is going to be pivotal in figuring out the new model and adjusting to the “new normal.”
What business wins have surprised you lately?
Leah: Well, we just hit our 10-year mark, so that was a nice surprise, ha. We’ve had some successes with leaning into private events lately.
There’s one story that never gets old to me, and that’s the one where guests reach out to us to host their wedding reception, wedding welcome reception, or engagement celebration. Often, they had their first date here. It means a lot that we’ve created a space that connects to people in that way.
We’re also in the works of opening another location. The reception from the community has been heartwarming. We all know how construction and permitting go, though, so I can’t really count it as a “win” until we open the doors.
You’ve been a Brewers Association board member for years. What does your time as a leader within the craft community mean to you?
Leah: I’ve really enjoyed my time on the BA board and the various committee work through the years. Small business owners can find it easy to get absorbed into your own four walls. Every hurdle can feel like a crisis, and it can be all-consuming. I love being part of the larger industry because it really forces you to put things in perspective and keep the big picture front and center. It helps you realize you’re one small piece of a larger community and not on an island. It’s also just very inspiring to engage with smart, talented entrepreneurs who share the same values of protecting and promoting small, independent brewers.
What advice do you have for fellow brewers who are considering running for the board or taking on a more active role?
Leah: Do it! I know it feels challenging to find the time. However, making the time for the broader industry not only helps you gain a different perspective, but can force you to delegate and let go of control within your own business, which can be really healthy and promote growth for others.
The BA also needs you! So many of our legislative wins as an industry have come from the grassroots efforts of our community of passionate and engaged brewers. In today’s challenging times, it may seem harder to volunteer time and energy outside of your own business, but that’s also why it’s more important than ever. Strengthening our industry as a whole on both the local and federal levels will have a direct positive impact on your individual business.
You’re the BA’s first pub brewer representative to serve as chairperson and only the second woman. How does your viewpoint as a voice for both of those groups shape your goals for your term?
Leah: I think the board’s willingness to trust me to lead, as an owner of a tiny neighborhood brewpub in not-even-a-state (Washington, D.C.), shows how the organization has evolved and diversified through the years. We still have work to do, but this is an organization built on the entrepreneurial spirit that has a place for people who raise their hands and roll up their sleeves.
While my brewery is very, very small relative to my predecessors’ breweries (which can admittedly be intimidating), it is more representative of the average BA member. Hopefully my understanding of those unique challenges will be helpful in the role. Naturally, the Brewers Association is facing some of the same challenges many of our businesses are in finding the new normal post-pandemic. So my goal for the organization is similar to the goals for my own business – to chart a path that is forward-looking and offers stability and the chance to thrive.
As for being a woman, I have no idea how that shapes me, because it’s all I know, but I’m sure it does. I do believe representation is important. I look forward to a time when it’s not weird for women and members of the BIPOC community to be in leadership roles. We’re getting there. The more perspectives we can get at the table, it’s only going to add to the innovation and change needed to move us forward.
What’s the beer scene like in Washington, D.C., these days?
Leah: Our craft beer scene is very young and we’re still relatively small, but we’ve come a long way. It’s very collaborative, which is great. The restaurants in D.C. are primarily independently owned, so they are very supportive of locally made, independent beer. The other great thing we’ve been seeing lately is an increase in D.C.-based contract brands, which has really added some diversity to the offerings and made for more vibrant events.
What traits make an excellent beer industry employee?
Leah: We’ve always hired based on personality over experience, because while so many aspects of the job are teachable, personality is generally not one of them. It’s so much easier to teach someone how to change a keg than to be friendly. We look for people who are hospitable, engaging, and passionate and who take initiative.
We also really value self-expression and individuality. We’ve found that allowing space for people to be themselves creates a better working environment and a more genuine and authentic experience for the guest.
What’s your favorite beer and cheese pairing from the Right Proper menu?
Leah: Grand Noir Blue, a cow’s milk cheese from Bavaria, Germany, with Häxan, our robust porter. The cheese has an elegant, creamy texture and richness that is met with the slight bitterness of the roasted malts in the porter. Together, they have a lovely sweet and salty, round and acidic, yin and yang relationship that just keeps talking to each other.