Beer of the Weekend #128: Stella Artois
The second beer of the weekend is Stella Artois, brewed by the Stella Artois Brewery of Leuven, Belgium.
Alongside Heineken, Stella Artois is the beer of the upper classes here in the OC. My old roommate’s girlfriend (his second girlfriend when I lived with him) was your classic OC rich girl, and she always drank Stella Artois when they had nights in. I tried it last night since it’s my base lager, and have to say the beer’s prestige among the plutocrats is only a result of its marketing.
Between 1982 and 2007, Stella Artois’ slogan in the UK was “Reassuringly Expensive,” which transformed the beer’s higher price (due to a duty on high-alcohol drinks) into the hallmark of a premium lager. However, the slogan was dropped because the beer became associated with binge drinking.
Serving type: Six 11.2-ounce bottles. “BEST BEFORE END” date on the back label is “01.2011.”
Appearance: Straight pour into a pilsner glass. The color is a clear and clean pale straw yellow. Two fingers of white head developed and dissipated to leave a foamy lacing and ring around the outside. The beer also leaves a nice coat of Brussels lacing on the glass
Smell: Weak adjunct corn aroma, though it becomes more noticeable when the beer warms slightly.
Taste: Refreshing and crisp barnyard malts (which is probably just higher quality adjunct corn), much like a German helles.
Drinkability: It’s very drinkable, but not “reassuringly expensive.” More like Stella Artois found a way to sucker yuppies into drinking something unspectacular.
Fun facts about Stella Artois:
-Style: Euro pale lager. BA has this to say:
-Price: $7.99/sixer at the Beach BevMo!.
-Serving temperature: BA recommends 40-45ºF, while Beers of the World suggests a precise 43ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA suggests meat (poultry, fish, shellfish). Beers of the World recommends fried or grilled fish.
-The “Anno 1366” printed on the neck label refers to the year when the first brewery was established in Leuven. That year, a brewpub named Den Hoorn (“The Horn”) was established. Den Hoorn is honored on the Stella Artois label by the hunting horn in the logo.
-Stella Artois was launched in 1926 as a Christmas beer under the name “Stella,” which means “star” in Latin.
-Though Belgium is known for its outstanding ales, the country’s pale lagers like Stella Artois account for 75 percent of Belgian beer production.
-Despite the popularity of Stella Artois abroad, it is not the most popular beer in Belgium. That title goes to Jupiler. Obviously, in Belgium it’s nothing special; just another basic lager.
-A popular nickname for Stella Artois in the UK is “wife beater.” I have no clue why. It probably stems from the beer’s connection with binge drinking.
-The cap comes wrapped in the top of the neck label, which is perforated for easy removal. It’s annoying.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
Alongside Heineken, Stella Artois is the beer of the upper classes here in the OC. My old roommate’s girlfriend (his second girlfriend when I lived with him) was your classic OC rich girl, and she always drank Stella Artois when they had nights in. I tried it last night since it’s my base lager, and have to say the beer’s prestige among the plutocrats is only a result of its marketing.
Between 1982 and 2007, Stella Artois’ slogan in the UK was “Reassuringly Expensive,” which transformed the beer’s higher price (due to a duty on high-alcohol drinks) into the hallmark of a premium lager. However, the slogan was dropped because the beer became associated with binge drinking.
Serving type: Six 11.2-ounce bottles. “BEST BEFORE END” date on the back label is “01.2011.”
Appearance: Straight pour into a pilsner glass. The color is a clear and clean pale straw yellow. Two fingers of white head developed and dissipated to leave a foamy lacing and ring around the outside. The beer also leaves a nice coat of Brussels lacing on the glass
Smell: Weak adjunct corn aroma, though it becomes more noticeable when the beer warms slightly.
Taste: Refreshing and crisp barnyard malts (which is probably just higher quality adjunct corn), much like a German helles.
Drinkability: It’s very drinkable, but not “reassuringly expensive.” More like Stella Artois found a way to sucker yuppies into drinking something unspectacular.
Fun facts about Stella Artois:
-Style: Euro pale lager. BA has this to say:
Similar to the Munich Helles story, many European countries reacted to the popularity of early pale lagers by brewing their own. Hop flavor is significant and of noble varieties, bitterness is moderate, and both are backed by a solid malt body and sweetish notes from an all-malt base.
-Price: $7.99/sixer at the Beach BevMo!.
-Serving temperature: BA recommends 40-45ºF, while Beers of the World suggests a precise 43ºF.
-Alcohol content: 5 percent ABV.
-Food pairings: BA suggests meat (poultry, fish, shellfish). Beers of the World recommends fried or grilled fish.
-The “Anno 1366” printed on the neck label refers to the year when the first brewery was established in Leuven. That year, a brewpub named Den Hoorn (“The Horn”) was established. Den Hoorn is honored on the Stella Artois label by the hunting horn in the logo.
-Stella Artois was launched in 1926 as a Christmas beer under the name “Stella,” which means “star” in Latin.
-Though Belgium is known for its outstanding ales, the country’s pale lagers like Stella Artois account for 75 percent of Belgian beer production.
-Despite the popularity of Stella Artois abroad, it is not the most popular beer in Belgium. That title goes to Jupiler. Obviously, in Belgium it’s nothing special; just another basic lager.
-A popular nickname for Stella Artois in the UK is “wife beater.” I have no clue why. It probably stems from the beer’s connection with binge drinking.
-The cap comes wrapped in the top of the neck label, which is perforated for easy removal. It’s annoying.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
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