Is Stella Artois crap to anyone else?

[moinkyschmoink]

Just grabbed a six with a buddy a week ago after eating a bunch of bbq and drinking homebrews all day. Stella SUCKS!!! For some reason (before I started brewing and drinking craft brews) I used to think it was good. They say your palette changes every 12 years or so. Mine must have been malfunctioning. Never again.

 

[Haputanlas]

To answer the question.... YES!

That **** gets no where near my lips.

I don't understand the appeal

 

[BeerEagle]

In the UK most "real ales" average out at about 4%. Most of the lagers on tap are either 4 or 5.

Fresh Stella (brewed here under license) isn't too bad but it has gained the nickname of "wife beater" due to its effect, in large quantities, on the swilling underclasses.

My local pub so hated the image that they swapped it out for San Miguel (also brewed here under license and equally, IMHO, poor)

Same results - just a new nickname, it's now known as "señorita beater".

If I'm in Paris, I'll drink Stella and it's great. If I'm in Spain, I'll drink San Miguel and it's great. What is it with the licensed copies that make them so bad?

Where is the Stella that you buy in the US manufactured (notice that I didn't say brewed)?

 

[boo boo]

My local pub so hated the image that they swapped it out for San Miguel (also brewed here under license and equally, IMHO, poor)
QUOTE]

Well I wouldn't say it was poor, but my father brought me back a bottle of San Miguel last fall and to me it was just as good as Stella.

 

[prrriiide]

Stella ON TAP (not light-struck) - pretty tasty.
Stella in a green bottle - pantherpiss.

Wonder how long it'll be before AB/InBev starts brewing Stella in St. Louie...

 

[boo boo]

Stella ON TAP (not light-struck) - pretty tasty.
Stella in a green bottle - pantherpiss.

Wonder how long it'll be before AB/InBev starts brewing Stella in St. Louie...

Agreed on tap vs bottle.
The Stella I get here is brewed in Belgium and in a can it's great. I wouldn't buy any euro Lager in a green bottle anymore. But I like most Euro Lagers anyway. Heini in a can is also good.

 

[thezepster]

Stella ON TAP (not light-struck) - pretty tasty.
Stella in a green bottle - pantherpiss.

Wonder how long it'll be before AB/InBev starts brewing Stella in St. Louie...

are you sure they dont? It seems like it would be extremely expensive to ship a liquid thats 95% water across seas. I would be surprised/impressed if it wasnt brewed in the U.S.

 

[prrriiide]

are you sure they dont? It seems like it would be extremely expensive to ship a liquid thats 95% water across seas. I would be surprised/impressed if it wasnt brewed in the U.S.

Not sure. Wouldn't surprise me either way.

Doesn't matter. Anywhere that sells Stella has something better. If they don't I'm going to another bar/store.

And when I say pretty tasty...I mean it tastes like a mass-produced pilsner/lager/yellow fizzy hop soda should taste, without the eau de pole cat.

 

[emjay]

are you sure they dont? It seems like it would be extremely expensive to ship a liquid thats 95% water across seas. I would be surprised/impressed if it wasnt brewed in the U.S.

Yes, it's transported overseas. No, it's not actually a big deal. Heck, it is still considerably more expensive than gasoline... the benefit to their image and branding in North America by being brewed in Europe is worth the extra cost to them. And really... we're in the 21st century. With containerization and modern shipping practicfftttt

 

[Special Hops]

It's nothing special. I can buy similar crappy BMC for half the price.

 

[nos33]

I might crack open my second one i bought just to give it a second opinion. I will post my results and make sure i have a good homebrew ready to wash the taste out of my mouth.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Those glasses are sold at Target.

For me if I must, skunky beer needs a lime. Carryover from Corona I'm sure. I don't like it but some people love the skunk. My mother's favorite homebrew is a Belgian Pale Ale that I intentionally light-struck. So now I bottle a few lighter beers in green bottles and skunk them for her. She likes what she likes and I'm not going to try to convince her (or anyone else) otherwise.

 

[rycov]

i'm guessing SpanishCastleAle is also your brewery name (in addition to your screen name). i like that, its pretty sweet

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

i'm guessing SpanishCastleAle is also your brewery name (in addition to your screen name). i like that, its pretty sweet

Thanks. It was the name of a beer I made, then I needed a screenname when I joined so I just picked the first thing that came to mind. Then I won one of Deep Sea's mash paddles in the first HBT comp and had to come up with something for him to engrave on the handle and Spanish Castle Brewery seemed appropriate. It's 'stolen' from the Jimi Hendrix song Spanish Castle Magic. I almost never name my beers.
[/threadjack]

 

[AlphaKing11]

I just finished a six pack.....I like it, as well as heineken, and st pauli girl, however becks I remember being a little rougher.

 

[funkapottomous]

Add my name to the "meh" list.

 

[barrog]

I had this beer at a restaurant a few weeks ago. There wasn't much to chose from. Just the bmc and the like so I ordered it. I didn't think it was all that bad and would order it again if the beer choices were limeited and they had it.

 

[rocketk455]

I'd drink it in a restaurant over BMC if they were the only choices available but I wouldn't if it cost an extra 2 or 3 bucks like it usually does.

 

[rycov]

that's how I feel, I'm not paying any more for something that only sucks a little less

 

[Peterock]

There is nothing wrong with a little skunk. I will pick up a 6er of Heinie's every now and then but something about this Stella just sat wrong with me

That sounds like me. Except with me it's Amstel light. They always taste skunky to me. Ive had 2 or 3 good ones but I'd rather not risk it.

 

[jordanpace]

its decent.
however, on these forums people will bash it.

 

[rycov]

I was bashing it before I was on this forum, it just sucks to me. if you like it that's fine, I like guinness and see it get bashed all the time. I understand the reasons some people don't like it, but we can still have our own opinions

 

[Houblon]

Funny but last friday we wentt to a party, wife stopped by store asked for a sealed 12pk of stella and long story short I got only 1 beer before it was gone.

Just another Euro BMC and no it wasn't skunked.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

My $.02, first time I tried Stella, it was in bottles and tasted like skunk butt. Revisited it on tap last month, good beer for the style. It's pretty good in cans too.

 

[venquessa]

I did a bit of reading up on Stella and it turns out it's 'premier lager' rep comes from long ago when in the UK most beers were brewed to 3%. Stella was brewed to something like 5.5% and considered a 'premier' beer. It cost enough anyway! So it was considered a 'premier' European lager, like Hieniken, in the UK market.

However, in the late 90s, and early 00s, most beers including so-called imported America lagers like Bud where starting to move up to and above 5%. Stella cut costs and started using a large portion of Maize sugars instead of malt, started using less hops and started chemically processing for a under 1 week lagering.

It is mass brewed in Belgium and in the UK and somewhere else I can't remember. Not only is it brewed in several different places, it is brewed in different strengths and other modifications for different markets. So there isn't really any "one" beer called Stella, rather it's a product range, manipulated for it's market. Maybe they thought the America market liked skunked European lager, so they brewed it specially for you

Lately, like in the late 00s they jumped on the inititive with a lot of other brewers to lower their ABV, but rather than spoil their fan base, they released Stella 4%. It's slightly sweeter, has a nice hop flavour and smell and generally isn't a bad session beer.

I get mine (stella 4) in cans, in 12s for about $16. All in I like it, but I wouldn't call it anything special.

Oh and they sell the 5% version in green bottles over here too. Usually, though not always in the fridge under florescents. Although I doubt it will sit as long on the shelf as it would going to the states.

Are you guys sure they don't also brew it over there for the US market?

 

[Piratwolf]

No me gusta!!! Plus, I find it hilarious when someone orders it with pretensions that they're getting a great European classic.

 

[jgln]

Had it a few times..wouldn't call it crap.

 

[Calichusetts]

I like Stella...it was traditionally the "peasants" beer so the rebranding as premium is as useful as triple-hopped and cold brewed. Stella, Becks, Urquell are fantastic for mowing the yard...and yes, its an aquired taste.

 

[emjay]

I like Stella...it was traditionally the "peasants" beer so the rebranding as premium is as useful as triple-hopped and cold brewed. Stella, Becks, Urquell are fantastic for mowing the yard...and yes, its an aquired taste.

Fresh Urquell, or even from just a can, is actually a *fantastic* beer.

 

[Gothnet]

I always find it funny when Stella is amongst the premium imported beers here in Australia. Back home (UK) we called it "wife beater" and generally avoided the stuff.

For a generic lager it's ok, and a step above the likes of Carling (IMHO), but I can't say I think it's actually good.