Rosa Merckx

Rosa Merckx (15 June 1924 - 16 May 2023) was the first official female brewmaster and operations director in Belgium. She began work at the Liefmans Oudenaarde brewery in 1946 and took over as brewmaster in 1972.

In 2016, UNESCO recognized the historic significance of Belgian beer culture, adding it to their list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Brouwerij Liefmans, Oudenaarde in East Flanders was founded in 1679.

Early life As a girl growing up in Belgium in the 1940s, Merckx took English and drama lessons, did classical dance, volunteered at the Red Cross, played basketball, and was the first woman in her town to drive a car. She was also trilingual, speaking French, Dutch, and English, which was rare.

Work in brewing It was this language ability that got her the job at the brewery. In 1946, Paul Van Gheluwe, owner of the Liefmans brewery, was in need of a trilingual secretary. He knew of Merckx and visited her house to gauge her interest; he offered her the job and she accepted.

Her work ethic and passion for brewing resulted in a larger role in beer production; she began taking wort density measurements, fermentations temperatures, and tasting, but eventually began brewing with her boss. Van Gheluwe asked her to taste the Liefmans Goudenband and she told him it was much too sour.

When she became brewmaster, she also worked to create exportation avenues for Liefmans.

Reflecting on her work in the brewery, Merckx said "Beer is a live product. It has a soul. I would not have been able to continue working for such a long time with a soulless product or in an admin office." Her signature still adorns the silk wrappers enveloping bottles of Liefmans Goudenband and Cuvée Brut. Brewery Ommegang also named a Rosetta beer for her.