After Hours: Raise a Glass to Beer Club

Jim Doll, with a tasting paddle and some select favorites. Photo: Jim Doll

If you go for a drink with Jim Doll, marketing manager for Milwaukee-based Liphatech, he’ll likely grab the beer menu before the wine list because he’s an official beer connoisseur.

For the past two years, he and three friends — two of whom he’s known since childhood — get together every couple months for Beer Club. They rotate meetings among their homes and invite guests on occasion.

“The host sets the rules, but we tend to follow the same process,” Doll says. “We’ll taste a few ounces each of four beers per round. That way, we can discuss eight to 12 beers in a night, but only a couple ounces of each.”

Wooden paddles, designed and built by the father of one member, hold four 4-oz. beers at a time so they can take turns ranking the quality and flavor of each.

Food is an important component of the meetings and varies by host.

“We might have pizza at one house, and smoked brisket at the next — there’s quite a spectrum,” Doll says. “But the beer and food pairing is important. Beer is actually a better complement than wine because of beer’s wider variety of flavors.”

The members’ personal favorites vary, which brings out lively discussions. Doll’s only preference is to try new beers and compare their consistency from batch to batch.

“Breweries differentiate themselves by being willing to try new beers,” he says. “But consistency is key. To make good beer time and time again is the mark of an excellent brewer.”

Last year, the group ventured on a one-day “beer-cation” in Chicago, visiting breweries. This year, they’re planning a similar trip to Grand Rapids, Mich.

Doll admits he’s not as absorbed by the club as another member, who tracks every discussed beer online, posts pictures of labels, and comments.

“He’s encouraged us to do the same, but so far it’s only been him,” Doll says with a laugh.