Stella Artois beer

by Mike Monin
(Alabama, USA)

Stella Artois: a classic 'borderline beer', somewhere between nasty and nice

The last week or two have been well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit here so needless to say almost any beer that is cold hits the spot. I've seen Stella Artois beer on tap, just haven't been able to trying it yet; so when a friend of mine brought a twelve pack with to my house for a barbecue, I was looking forward to it.

I was not disappointed at all. The heat beat down on my head as I stood outside manning the grill for what seemed to be hours and then the beer man showed up with the Stella Artois with an ABV of 5.20%.

Unfortunately I was so thirsty that I didn't even take the time to properly try the first one, I just opened the bottle and drank it down in no time flat, only noticing that oh yes this is just what I needed... a cold beer!

We stood around talking for a few minutes and then I decided it was time to try another Stella, only this time I was going to enjoy it and pour it into a glass.

The first thing I noticed on opening the bottle was the smell reminded me of typical Belgium lager. Oh yeah I forgot to say this is an import from Belgium, didn't I.

As I poured it I noticed the color was pretty much a clear yellow with a light to medium head with a minimal retention. After pouring it I would also note the smell was still nothing to write home about, a note of hops but very mild.

Now to the taste. I was actually surprised by how smooth and crisp it was. I thought wow is this the same beer I just downed in a few seconds flat out of the bottle. I actually took my time and enjoyed this one, well at least for a few minutes before I was looking at the bottom of the glass.

I could tell after just a few of these that if you are going to dance with Stella make sure you have a designated driver, because she goes down quick and can pack a punch.