Stella Artois
Review Date 7/13/2001 By John Staradumsky
Among all the many charming and
idiosyncratic countries of Europe, perhaps no other is as charming or as
idiosyncratic as tiny Belgium. The Belgians have their own unique and
devil-may-care attitude when it comes to life, and it may well be that
geography has something to do with this. Nestled between Germany and France,
Belgium has often been embroiled in the frequent conflicts between these two
historical rivals.
The Belgian philosophy may well be summed up as living life to the fullest,
and they certainly do this in a gastronomical sense. Good wine is
appreciated here, as is gourmet food, served in heaping portions and rich
and varied in flavor. If there is one food item, however, that Belgians
prize above all others it must certainly be beer. There are sour beers and
sweet beers, fruit beers and wheat beers, spiced beers and dry beers, strong
beers and weak beers, aged beers and young beers, blended beers and straight
beers, wild beers and tamed beers, clerical beers and secular beers. In
short, the Belgians brew some of the most unique and delicious beers on the
planet. Sadly, Stella Artois is not one of those beers.
Certainly, Stella is a Belgian brew, but it might fairly be called “Belgian
Budweiser”. It’s a mass-produced, very drinkable and inoffensive brew that
has broad appeal not only in the home market but in export as well. Stella
is brewed by the Belgian super-brewing conglomerate Interbrew, which also
owns the familiar Belgian brands Hoegarden White, Abbey de Leffe, and
Bellevue. Recently, Interbrew gobbled up that traditional icon of British
beer-drinking history, Bass, when the Bass Corporation curiously decided to
abandon the very industry that it was founded upon in favor of other
ventures. Interbrew also owns the Labatt and Alexander Keith’s brands in
Canada, Rolling Rock in America, Bohemia and Dos Equis in Mexico, Tennent’s
in Scotland, Boddington’s in England, Staropramen in the Czech Republic, and
Oranjeboom in Holland, just to name a few.
Interbrew is definitely a brewing powerhouse with a large stable of famous
brands, but it was Stella Artois that allowed the mouse to roar so to speak.
Attractively packaged in green glass with a fancy white and red label and a
white neck label that covers the cap, Stella is indeed an eye-catching
product. Unfortunately, that same green glass also tends to skunk the beer
very rapidly.
I hadn’t tried a Stella in many years, but a local liquor store was giving
away very attractive Stella Artois glasses with a six-pack purchase, so I
decided to buy one. Realizing I had yet to review the beer on Epinions, of
course, in no way influenced my decision. Ahem.
Stella Artois pours to a light golden color with a prodigious head formation
of tightly packed bubbles. The nose is a bit skunky but also hints at crisp
Belgian malt. The palate is medium bodied with some biscuity malt, a touch
of skunkiness and then a grassy, slightly bitter hop finish. Skunkiness
aside this is actually a pretty decent European pilsner beer. My Beloved
Barbara(TM) is particularly enamored of it, and will often order one on
draft when she sees it. Packaged in brown glass, it might even be a regular
visitor to one of my dedicated beer refrigerators. That said, it is still
one of the least interesting Belgian beers available in the United States.
Try it with a broiled porterhouse lightly seasoned with a bit of soy sauce
and fresh ground pepper as I’m enjoying it tonight.
Glad I tried it?
T
Would I rebuy it??
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled, Canned
(D)=Draft