BY: DAN MURPHY AND CHRIS DROSNER
Becky Doege has taste, and three Molson Coors “Taster of the Year” titles prove it. The most recent was in late 2024, when Milwaukee-based Doege won a “taste off” against 25 of the company’s best tasters from seven Molson Coors breweries. Tasting beer at various points of the brewing process is just part of her job as sensory services manager – she also coordinates taste panels, trains panelists, leads training and does a lot of statistical analysis.
“Sensory science is interesting because we get to use people as analytical instruments,” she says. We talked to her about the life of a professional taster – a pretty good gig for someone who had to develop a love of beer.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
How did you discover that you are a talented taster?
Before working here, I didn’t know that sensory science was a thing. I started roughly 12 years ago as a sensory lab technician. It was just a contract job. I didn’t like beer at all at the time. I found that taste-testing for quality was fun and interesting, so I decided to get trained. After a short while, I realized I was really good at picking up the different attributes of beer and, luckily, I acquired the taste. Beer is one of my favorite beverages now.
And now you’re a champion taster!
When I started, I would make the taste-off, but I didn’t make the top three for the first few years. I worked at it, and it’s crazy to me that I’ve been able to win it multiple times. I think there’s also pressure going forward of trying to win it again.
How did you develop and improve your tasting ability?
By practicing on the attributes that we train on and kind of delving deep – trying to tie the attributes to different things, whether that be what exactly it smells like, or if it brings a certain memory to your mind. Things that [help] if you’re picking up the attribute subtly. You can tie it [to something else] and be able to identify it.
Is there anything you do to keep your taste sharp?
We have rules for our taste panelists. They can’t eat or drink anything highly flavored at least 30 minutes ahead of time. We don’t have smokers on our panel because that blocks a lot of sensory attributes. Also, things like the mint flavor from brushing your teeth, spicy food, drinking coffee—you wouldn’t be able to taste-test right after you partake in those things. Other than that, practice makes perfect. We are constantly training on a multitude of attributes in beer – some that may be considered defects and some that we’re looking for in the flavor profile.
What should the novice beer drinker concentrate on when they’re when they’re tasting beer?
A big thing that we talk about here is the acronym AATMF: appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel and finish. But I would say aroma is up to 90% of your perception of what you’re getting in your beer, because even the flavors that you’re tasting are also coming from your nose. Having your beer in the correct glass, to be able to pick up a lot of those aromas, is one of the biggest things that you can do instead of drinking it out of the package.
What else do you do to zero in on the sensory experience of beer?
Once we take a sip of the product, we roll it around our mouth and across our tongue for a few seconds. I’m really trying to pick up the basic tastes and then also how thin or full the product is. After swallowing, we also look for flavor characteristics there.
What’s your favorite beer in the Molson Coors portfolio?
That’s a tough question. Sometimes the preference depends on what mood I’m in or the weather. Usually my go-to is Miller Lite – I love the subtle hops and the presence of that caramel maltiness. It’s really easy drinking.
How would you describe the profile difference between High Life and Lite? Are there flavor profiles you pick up between the beers that the average beer drinker wouldn’t?
Those are pretty similar for the average drinker, because mouthfeel and taste differences can be the hardest ones to detect. High Life is slightly more malty and imparts a fuller mouthfeel than Miller Lite.
Cannabis beverages are getting smarter. See Canndigenous, a Wisconsin Native-owned company that mixes 5 milligrams of THC with other cannabinoids – CBG, CBD or CBN – in seltzers called Uptempo, Midtempo and Downtempo. I loved Uptempo’s energizing CBG and bright ginger flavor. – CD
A Brief Rundown of the Changes in Milwaukee’s Beer Scene
BY: CHRIS DROSNER
Closures
Enlightened Brewing’s closing in January stung. I miss the simple, approachable beers and friendly, spacious Bay View taproom. • And 1840 Brewing was one of Milwaukee’s best, and its loss is made worse by the circumstances: Co-founders Kyle and Stephanie Vetter closed in June after seven years in business, in part to focus on her battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Reopenings
Lombardi Brewing, taking over the City Lights brewery in the Menomonee Valley, has ties to the small District 1 Brewing in Stevens Point and, yes, the family of the Packers coaching legend. Social media posts indicated operators were hoping to reopen the taproom in late July, but there’s now been no social media activity since June. • A former employee of the weird-beer maestros MobCraft Beer is picking up the mantle after the Walker’s Point brewery’s closure last November. The new team was awaiting federal permits but hoping to open in September. • New owners reopened the brewpub St. Francis Brewing, closed since 2019, in April. Head brewer Tyler Killips is an Enlightened alum.
In the Works
Clockwork Brewing’s plan for its Menomonee Falls brewery sounds like the optimism of the 2016 boom: Thousands of square feet, regional distribution to liquor and grocery stores, and 20-30 employees. The beer mind is Adam Anders, a former Explorium brewer and a departed co-founder of Ope Brewing. No word on a timeline. • Adam and Kayla Thomas have been making mixed-fermentation beers as Radix Fermentation for years, but they finally found a space of their own: a former fire station in Cudahy. They hope to open sometime this fall.
