Words and photos by Ashley Joanna
Edited by Breandán Kearney
Humans of Belgian Beer is a series of photographic portraits which celebrate a people and their culture.
In 2020, Rosa Merckx, who turns 98 years old next month, was approached by 3 Belgian authors who wanted to publish a book about her life. The book, they said, would showcase her achievements in stewarding the heritage brands at the Liefmans Brewery in Oudenaarde and celebrate her accomplishments as the first woman to become a brewmaster and operations director in a Belgian brewery.
It’s understandable that the authors wanted to secure the deal. Such a book would be gripping. Rosa Merckx began working at Oud Bruin specialists Liefmans in 1946 as a tri-lingual secretary to the brewery owner Paul Van Gheluwe after he knocked on her door to enquire if she’d be interested. He soon discovered that Rosa had an excellent palette and an acute business acumen. Production and management staff took her advice to change the profile of Liefmans products, and the resulting beers—less acidic, milder, and more balanced—became highly successful.
Rosa then changed the name of the Ijzerenband beer (Iron Ring) to Goudenband (Golden Ring) and in so doing, avoided a lawsuit for Liefmans. It would go on to become iconic (her signature still adorns the label on bottles of Goudenband today). In 1972, after the death of Van Gheluwe, Rosa took over leadership of the brewery and propelled it into Belgian beer folklore.
One of her main goals, aside from brewing beer, was to create an open culture at Liefmans and to make sure the employees felt cared for. Liefmans employees are still loyal to her opinions to this day. “I always had good vibrations,” she says. “I brought this with me wherever I went.”
One of Rosa’s favourite places is her backyard terrace. On warm days, she sits outside on the chair and enjoys the view of the garden, a space filled with green, luscious trees. The Liefmans Brewery stands tall in the distance, as if still under her watchful eye. Through the large pane windows a collection of memories fills the house behind her: of raising a family; of happy times spent with friends; and of impressive achievements at work, only a short walk away. “My body may be old but my spirit is still good,” she says. “I believe this is because I lived a fulfilling life.”
Rosa refused to take part in the book project about her life that the Belgian authors wanted to publish. “Why do people need a romanticized version of my life and success,” she says. The reality of our time here is often more gritty than how stories about us are retold—“There have been ups and downs,” she says honestly—and Rosa champions perspective in a way that only the wise and well-lived can. “Life is a funny thing,” she says. “At first you don’t understand why it went that way. But later on, it makes sense, and you know.”
My body may be old, but my spirit is still good. I believe this is because I lived a fulfilling life.
Rosa Merckx
