Stella Artois

Brewed by InBev Belgium
Style: Pale Lager
Leuven, Belgium

Unfortunately I will sometimes suffer from “lager prejudice” - the prejudicial fear of lackluster lagers which I then presume applies to all lagers. This is not always the case, of course, but it can be easy to forget when one has been scarred so many times by lager mediocrity. Stella Artois from InBev is a double dose of “lager prejudice” because she is what I would classify as a macro import lager and, better yet, owned and distributed by the largest corporate conglomerate in the world of beer ownership and distribution. I would be speaking of InBev, of course, those feisty Belgians who most recently bought Anheiser Bush for a few gazillion dollars. In the international world of corporate beer, InBev is loathed even more than Anheiser Bush.

She poured a lovely crystal clear golden yellow with a rocky white head which resembled the white caps splashing my face during my virgin Stella Artois voyage a few years ago. A delicate scattering of lace clings to the sides of my glass. Bright and playful, lemon and lime tease while soft white breads, rolls, and orange blossoms perfume the air. Sweet lemon drops transport me further back in time, and I remember why I enjoyed this lager so much. My first quaff has a soft yet bright mouthfeel and a short finish that refuses to linger long; apparently, she has better things to do then to hang out with me. Lemon cream with a spritz of key lime tickles from start to finish while soft white breads and rolls, home-made and not the store-bought wonder bread kind, and green grass gleams under a layer of morning dew. Great balance and extreme quaffability along with no bitter aftertaste and an honorable Belgian lager palate makes Stella Artois a winner in my book, and thousands of others, too.

You can lament and deride InBev as much as you want and more often than not for good reason, but before InBev bought the rights to Stella Artois, she was already a winner in her home country of Belgium. I can’t say if her palate or recipe has changed any, though I would imagine it has. To be able to meet the sheer quantity her mass production requires for domestic and export consumption, there will always be some change. Stella Artois gets a bright passing grade from me.

This beer has a lot of carbonation and is semi-hazy in color with a moderate sized head. The taste to me was actually sour and was not enjoyable to say the least. I found it disgusting and will likely never try it again. Not recommended.

Bottle. Golden pour with a thin, frothy, white head. Brown sugary sweet malts on the nose. This bottle’s pretty skunky. I’m going to finish it, though.

Overrated pilsener; it’s a bit better than Budweiser, Coors, and other popular lagers, quite a bit more expensive, and still very boring. It has more aroma to it than its competitors - a blessing or a curse depending on your tastes. This is pretty much all that distinguishes it.

Really dull/faint aroma with a minimal-to-no head. Golden pour with light carbonation. Nose is fairly clear with a hint of hops on the edges of the tongue in the aftertaste.

Well I am set to say that i pretty much hate this beer. Looks generic and has no aroma to speak of. Taste was plain except for a terrible after taste like burnt rubber. May you burn in hell InBev

For a beer that is served everywhere in america, i was a little let down by the taste. Very pale, light flavor stifled by the intense carbonation. Unimpressed by overall experience.

On tap at the Crown and Tower. Clear yellow pour with a rich, white foam. Aroma is faint hops and malt. Finish is bland, but drinkable. Fairly refreshing summer lager.