The sum of the whole is worth more than the sum of the parts
Written: Mar 25 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy drinker, nice character, lots of memories
Cons: Green bottles
The Bottom Line: A solid performing pilsner that ranks higher than most European lagers but without the complexity of Bohemian examples. Great 6-pack or garden beer.
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| andaryl's Full Review: Stella Artois |
Sometimes the quality of a beer is worth so much more than the contents of the glass. Many in the know will tell you that Stella Artois is little more than an average lager. At RateBeer.com, Stella Artois averages 2.79 (out of 5) based on 271 ratings. In my opinion it’s much better than that.
Sometimes we confuse the quality of the moment for the quality of the beer. My job puts me in regular contact with the beer drinking public, and I often hear tales of how great “standard pilsner x” was in some third world country.
When it comes to myself that romantic beer is Stella Artois. There’s always an extra sense playing a part, adding a mental satisfaction that no one else could understand. When I drink it I taste something beyond the hops and the malt, I taste the memories of my early drinking days. It’s the beer I grew up with. I could share many a fond memory of sunny afternoons in an English beer garden, lazing out at a cricket match, wetting my throat at the bottom of a ski slope, but I want to make sure that I keep your attention for the rest of the review.
A Quick Background
The Artois brewery dates back to 1366 and was acquired by Sebastien Artois in 1717. Stella Artois was first brewed as a Christmas beer in 1926 and was so popular that they just kept making it. Today the Artois brewery is part of the multinational conglomerate, Interbrew. Stella Artois is the biggest selling Belgian beer and is available in over 80 countries.
Stella Artois is Belgium’s answer to the Bohemian pilsner category. With the many complex and characterful strong ales coming out of Belgium and lack of lighter lagers, as well as the big company ownership, you’ll understand that Stella Artois is open to fire from the outset.
According to the official website:
“Stella Artois is Interbrew's global lager brand. This classic European lager is a bottom fermented blond pils with an alcohol content of 5.2% vol. Only the very best barley and the finest hops are selected for this beer. Stella Artois is full-bodied but none the less exceptionally thirst quenching, and should be served cold at 3° C.”
As far as the Stella name (translated = star) goes, I’ve heard a couple of versions. One is that since it was originally a Christmas beer, it developed the star as its logo. The other is that the beer is golden and shines bright like a star.
Tasting Notes
Stella Artois pours to a clear pale golden color, well carbonated, with a beautiful head of rocky white foam.
As a quick digression, I should add that the correct Belgian way to pour this beer is with half a glass of foam. I’ve seen this not only from drinking in Belgium but also at the annual Draught Master (beer pouring) Championship where Stella is the beer of choice. You can read more about this at:
http://www.stella-artois.com/enjoy/master.html
The nose is fairly clean, predominantly malty, with a touch of grain. The fragrant hops typical of classic Czech pilsners are also evident, albeit to a lesser extent. As with many European pilsners this beer is served in the green bottle and will therefore be susceptible to off fresh skunked aromas. I have noticed this in the past but for the purpose of these tasting notes I was sampling the draft version of the beer.
It’s pretty smooth on the palate, light in body, with a light but crisp carbonated bite. Overall the flavor is on the sweeter side, slightly fruity, but balanced well by a delicate but sharp hop bitterness and dryness. The flavors certainly work better served cold, as a little sourness develops in the finish as it warms.
Verdict
Pilsners always seem to take a hard rap among beer snobs, and it puts the Ratebeer rating of 2.79 into perspective when you see that the highest rated pilsner only scores 3.88. Many throw Stella into the Carlsberg, Grolsch, Heineken, Fosters category, all of which are common lager brands in the UK, but I would honestly say that it really does rank above any of those.
I also feel that the beer gets a hard time because of it Belgian roots with many strong ale drinkers trying it out expecting to find a superior pilsner.
We hooked this up at The Yard House about 6 months ago and it quickly became our biggest selling foreign beer (Mexicans and Canadians excluded).
As something that’s relatively new in California, Stella seems to be the obvious recommendation to anyone who enjoys the popular European lager brands. Admittedly, I would rate classic pilsners such as Urquell and Hofmark higher, as I would some of the American microbrewed pilsners such as Victory Prima. But for anyone who’s looking for a good clean, refreshing pilsner, Stella Artois does a great job.
Of course if I’m ever a little homesick, or maybe even youthsick Stella just seems to taste so much better.
My Rating: 3.7 (out of 5)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
andaryl
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Member: Andrew Smith
Location: California via Yorkshire
Reviews written: 471
Trusted by: 346 members
About Me:
I just watch a lot of movies. Epinions is a great excuse.
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