Drink like an Egyptian.. (Stella Premium Lager)

Member Name: dangaroo

Product:	Stella Premium Lager
Date:	20/05/09 (41 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Not bad as far as Egyptian alcohol goes

Disadvantages: Bad batches are present

On my first visit to Egypt, I had to say I was a little bemused by their beer brand "Stella", was this a branch of Stella Artois were my first thoughts. After a few Stellas and some nosying in the small alcohol shops of Cairo, I began to wonder if it was an attempt to get in on the action with a similar named product like they do with their spirits - Racardi (instead of Bacardi), Vat 39 (instead of 69) and Johnny Walker Black Label usually with a spelling mistake of some type. Whilst those are lousy attempts, Stella actually fares pretty well and has become perhaps Egypt's most recognisable beer over recent years, I'm still not sure if the initial idea was to sneak under the limelight of Stella Artois though!

Along with the fresh fruit juices and tea, this is probably one of the safest drinks in Egypt - more reliable than the local sources of water and won't make you go blind like the spirits might. This beer takes a lot of getting used to, I loved a bottle during my first visit to Egypt finding it not only thirst-quenching but also rather tasty but the second time I went there I just couldn't fully get into it - finding it flat and astringent. The colour was a hazy dark yellow, there was next to no lacing and the smell was funky. It is sharply bitter and the quality seems to be very much a matter of where you get it from. I suspect that the stock I bought from a bottle shop in Nuweiba may have been a little past its sell by date. Saying that it's definitely better than Saqara, although I do think that the Luxor beer range now have the better hand.

Summary: Try not to buy in bulk before checking it out!