Star of Belgium (Stella Artois)

Member Name: sit2020

Product:	Stella Artois
Date:	23/03/07 (864 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good flavour

Disadvantages: nasty when warm

After a hot day, there is nothing nicer than having a beer, for me a lager is my drink of choice. When I was younger it would be a pint of whatever was served in the pub I would be standing in at the time. I tended to avoid the premium (strong) rated lagers, not for one particular reason in particular, more a combination of reasons, the price, they made me fall over and I did not really like the taste.

These days however things have changed and one particular brand of Lager has become one of my favourites, this being Stella Artois. These days I tend to enjoy a drink at home instead of in a bar.

Price

Now the cost Stella has come down, although the lower alcohol lagers are still cheaper, Stella can be found in many different supermarkets with various offers, BOGOF (buy one get one free) 50% extra free etc etc, basically the humble Stella is now great value as long as you have a look around.

Falling over

Now although Stella Artois is a premium lager with an alcohol strength of 5.2% by volume, it does not cause me the aforementioned problem of falling over, the reason is very simple, I treat alcohol with respect, enjoy the flavour and not try to empty the global supply of booze on my own in one night. Also because it has a really full flavour I want to savour every drop and am therefore not in any rush when having a drink.

Taste

To this day I still do not enjoy the taste of Stella Artois when it is either at room temperature or even worse warm.
To really enjoy this it has to be served chilled. When chilled, the flavour is evident, it has a full bodied taste that is not overpowering (as I have found with some premium lagers), the bubbles tend to stay in suspension in the beer, so when swallowed I feel it bite the back of my throat rather than fill my mouth with gas (as is the case if it is served too warm).
The manufacturers of Stella recommend that it is served at three degrees Celsius.

Silly fact

The bubbles in beer are carbon dioxide, they spend their lives trying to escape from the beer, when the beer is warm they find it much easier to escape. However that then compromises the taste, the way to keep them in the beer is to serve it cold. That does not stop the gas escaping, but it does slow it down, you will still feel the bite as it is swallowed without the feeling of it being too gassy.
Part of the overall flavour of a lager is in the gas, the best way to prove that is try drinking flat Lager and you will see what I mean.

Stella is the Latin word for “Star” and was first produced by the Belgium brewery Artois in 1926 to celebrate Christmas, for me that is one great Christmas present that the brewery gave the world.

Summing up (summing not supping)

Stella Artois for me is a great full flavoured Lager, with an alcohol content of 5.2% it needs to be treated with respect and served cold.
It is a great accompaniment with a meal or simply drank on its own or with friends.

Although it can have lemonade added to make a shandy or some people even add lime to it. I personally think it is best drank as it comes. If you want a Lager shandy or a Lager and Lime, use a Lager that has less flavour, your taste buds will probably not notice the difference.

With all alcoholic drinks please treat them with respect.

Summary: Premium Lager with a budget price