Stella Artois

[Banco]

Stella has replaced Pilsner Urquell here. Mmm, Stella!

One of the great hoodwinks of French marketing on Americans. Why do people drink this stuff? It's made from fermented tax receipts.

[Hannah]

One of the great hoodwinks of French marketing on Americans. Why do people drink this stuff? It's made from fermented tax receipts.

Inasmuch as it's not French (it's Belgian), because it's still a halfway decent cold wet beer, and it ain't Budweiser.

[DonRocks]

I'm with Banco on this one - I put Stella right up there alongside Yuengling and Rolling Rock in the "Inexplicably Cool" category.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[edenman]

Stella is Belgian in location only. That beer sucks.

[youngfood]

I'm with Banco on this one - I put Stella right up there alongside Yuengling and Rolling Rock in the "Inexplicably Cool" category.

Cheers,

Rocks.

But if offered a choice of those three beers, you can't tell me you'd have chosen either of the other two. Don, who are you hanging out with that thinks Rolling Rock and Yuengling are cool?

I didn't mean to imply that having Stella on tap was an unusual or special thing, and I'm certainly not cool even when I'm drinking it, but of the four taps offered at JHS, this was my choice and, in my opinion, was an upgrade over Pilsner Urquell. And frankly, sometimes I like drinking a few mediocre, easy drinking cold beers. Especially when they are offered at discounted happy hour prices.

This has got to be one of the silliest topics we've ever had here. Let's try to raise the level of discourse and get back to serious topics like being appalled by the existence of bad television shows.

[Banco]

But if offered a choice of those three beers, you can't tell me you'd have chosen either of the other two. Don, who are you hanging out with that thinks Rolling Rock and Yuengling are cool?

I didn't mean to imply that having Stella on tap was an unusual or special thing, and I'm certainly not cool even when I'm drinking it, but of the four taps offered at JHS, this was my choice and, in my opinion, was an upgrade over Pilsner Urquell. And frankly, sometimes I like drinking a few mediocre, easy drinking cold beers. Especially when they are offered at discounted happy hour prices.

This has got to be one of the silliest topics we've ever had here. Let's try to raise the level of discourse and get back to serious topics like being appalled by the existence of bad television shows.

I'd take Yuengling over Stella any day. But I think to mention either in the same breath as PU is absurd. (But that's probably just because the only beer I ever bother with is Pilsener of one kind or another, which is why I hardly ever drink beer in America.)

[youngfood]

I'd take Yuengling over Stella any day. But I think to mention either in the same breath as PU is absurd. (But that's probably just because the only beer I ever bother with is Pilsener of one kind or another, which is why I hardly ever drink beer in America.)

Would your sensibilities have been less offended if I'd used two sentences to explain it? Maybe, "PU is no longer on tap at JHS. That tap is now used to serve Stella."?

[Banco]

Would your sensibilities have been less offended if I'd used two sentences to explain it? Maybe, "PU is no longer on tap at JHS. That tap is now used to serve Stella."?

I don't think it's my sensibilities that have been offended. Please drink whatever you like; we're just having fun here.

[Waitman]

I'd take Yuengling over Stella any day. But I think to mention either in the same breath as PU is absurd. (But that's probably just because the only beer I ever bother with is Pilsener of one kind or another, which is why I hardly ever drink beer in America.)

ewwwww Pilsner. Bist du Deutsche oder etwas?

Actually I've never had PU or an SA in the U.S. that didn't taste as though it had been sitting in a shipping container for months. Perhaps they use fermented customs forms, rather than tax recipts. Had SA for breakfast one brutally hot morning in Provence, though, and it was like drinking a different beer, crisp and light (not "lite"), with a hint of bitter. Almost (dare I say it?) like a pilsner.

Neither of them seem to travel particularly well, I wonder if it takes a higher-alcohol brew to withstand the passage?

[chickenlover]

I'm with Banco on this one - I put Stella right up there alongside Yuengling and Rolling Rock in the "Inexplicably Cool" category.

Cheers,

Rocks.

Come on. Everyone knows the cool kids drink PBR.

[Mark Slater]

Inasmuch as it's not French (it's Belgian), because it's still a halfway decent cold wet beer, and it ain't Budweiser.

Stella is the Belgian Bud.

[Waitman]

Stella is the Belgian Bud.

Yeah, but it's like I was saying to Mrs. B while drinking an unremarkable but inexpensive rose in France one afternoon - they have a higher level of mediocrity over there.

[Hannah]

Stella is the Belgian Bud.

Indeed. But it lacks that lovely bug spray/horse piss aftertaste, which is what makes it a palatable alternative.

[youngfood]

Stella is the Belgian Bud.

A serious question: does anyone else not like Belgian Beer? I know, I am a loser and an inadequate beer drinking foodie, but I really don't like Belgians almost across the board.

[Banco]

ewwwww Pilsner. Bist du Deutsche[r] oder etwas?

Nur zur Hälfte! Pilsener probably has such a poor reputation among beer connoisseurs in America for the reasons you mention, but also because it is usually not served properly here, even if it's on tap. If you order a Pils in Germany you should be prepared to wait a good five to ten minutes for the barkeep to top it off as the foam recedes, then you are presented with a fresh, fragrant, creamy glass of refreshment at the perfect temperature. (Scraping the foam off the glass "a la flamande" would be considered barbaric.) As I said, over here I'm really not much of a beer drinker, but when I'm in Germany I drink Pils religiously because it's such a completely different beverage. Here, as usual, things are too fast and too cold, sometimes with the glass filled to the rim.

[DonRocks]

A serious question: does anyone else not like Belgian Beer? I know, I am a loser and an inadequate beer drinking foodie, but I really don't like Belgians almost across the board.

There is a tremendous variety of Belgian beer, so your question is really too general. That said, I find banana esters in beer to be off-putting - same reason I hate nearly all Beaujolais Nouveau - and this component is what makes me shy away from randomly ordering off a Belgian list.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Banco]

A serious question: does anyone else not like Belgian Beer? I know, I am a loser and an inadequate beer drinking foodie, but I really don't like Belgians almost across the board.

I like the doubles--which I believe they are called--like Duvel. Good for getting drunk quick. The Trappiste ales can also be very fine. Otherwise I would agree with Don that you never quite know what you're getting with Belgian beer. It's not a style for a Reinheitsgebot Teutonic Tight Ass, which I tend to be.

[youngfood]

There is a tremendous variety of Belgian beer, so your question is really too general. That said, I find banana esters in beer to be off-putting - same reason I hate nearly all Beaujolais Nouveau - and this component is what makes me shy away from randomly ordering off a Belgian list.

Not sure what banana esters are, but I tend to find a fruity and off-putting flavor in many of the Belgians I've tried and I find it so off-putting that I've largely given up on trying Belgians. I do not like fruit flavors in beer. Somewhat similarly, I cannot stand Magic Hat #9, though, of course, that is not a Belgian.

[pizza man]

Actually, I find most Belgians to be to strong, sweet and heavy. Stella however, is pleasant, what I would consider a "session" beer, and no adverse digestive problems the following day.

Another pointless but point scoring thing about Stella; The back cover of Slayer's 1987 album Reign In Blood has a photo of the band holding up a six pack of Stella Artois in the small cans. If it's good enough for Slayer, it's good enough for me!

[Tweaked]

Stella however, is pleasant, what I would consider a "session" beer, and no adverse digestive problems the following day.

While Stella is generally not my first choice beer, I would have to agree that it has its place. If I am BBQing on a hot day before a DC United game on what will be a long day/night of drinking I don't want to be weighed down early with a hoppy Dogfish or a lovely porter...ploughing through a sixer of Stella sets a good foundation for the rest of the day's alcohol consumption. I can save the Trappiste ales or Old Peculiars for post-game indulgement.

[jigones]

Stella and Corona are two very very overpriced beers. The are the Virginia wines of beers.

[qwertyy]

ewwwww Pilsner. Bist du Deutsche oder etwas?

Actually I've never had PU or an SA in the U.S. that didn't taste as though it had been sitting in a shipping container for months. Perhaps they use fermented customs forms, rather than tax recipts. Had SA for breakfast one brutally hot morning in Provence, though, and it was like drinking a different beer, crisp and light (not "lite"), with a hint of bitter. Almost (dare I say it?) like a pilsner.

Neither of them seem to travel particularly well, I wonder if it takes a higher-alcohol brew to withstand the passage?

I've never been a Stella booster, seeing it more as a nondescript yellow beer that is fine and enjoyable when made and drunk in any of the untold number of the world's tropical countries (each of which, however, also has its own nondescript yellow beer that tastes great in the sun). But Pilsner Urquell is an excellent yellow beer when drunk in Europe and the tropics, providing all the relief of an Equatorial refresher along with some flavor (!) and dimension (!). I haven't managed to find Urquell so flavorful in the States. (Also Budwar/Czechvar--where's that?)