Monday, March 29, 2010

Fancy Shmancy

I feel like something fancy tonight. Generally speaking 'fancy' and 'beer' are not two words found in a sentence together; however, Stella Artois is a fancy looking beer that even sounds fancy ( stella ar-twa). About a year ago my restaurant recieved a new selection of beer and stella artois was included, but not many people order it. I decided to give it a try.

Stella Artois was first brewed in 1926 as a Christmas brew with the name because stella is latin for star. While Belgium is mostly known for its table beer ales, Stella Artois is a bottem-fermented pilsner lager, also it means it is fermented at a very low temperature with an ABV of 5%.

I bought a pint bottle of Stella Artois the bottle is very fancy (as seen below). The initial smell is like a bitter distillery smell, acidic and sour. the color is a light, clear, yellow, with very little head. And finally the taste: its smooth, similar to bud light ( no offense). The taste is hoppy and yet a little watered down. The after bite is acidic.

The taste is better than what I thought it would be after smelling it, but it still is not a beer that I enjoy. Perhaps I expected something as extravagant and as impressive as the bottle, but overall it was not a bad beer. I do not think that I would buy this beer again, because I did not enjoy it enough to drink all of the pint, let alone another one.

Here's a review from beeradvocate.com:
SamN ( Fort Collins, Colorado )

C / 3
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | drink: 3.5
rDev: -3.7%

On tap as a taster from the Crown Pub, from jotted notes.

A- Pale, pale, pale. Clear, a light yellow color, no head whatsoever.

S- Rice and cheap floral hops. Slightly sour smelling.

T- Sweeter fruits, herbal hops. Mild and subdued, slightly adjunct but easy to sip on and easy of flavor, nothing outrageous here.

M- Spritzy. Bubbly. Soda like.

D- Eh, not bad. Pair with food. I'd like this with a creamy alfredo, something rich to contrast with it's light flavors and body.

Serving type: on-tap

Reviewed on: 03-24-2010 00:06:04

I liked this review because of how similar our reviews of the beer were. Also I appreciated the note on food pairings. I usually drink beer by itself, and I've never tried pairing it with food, but the note on pairing this beer with food with rich flavor was highly useful and I'll keep that in my mind for the next beer.


I had a big revelation tonight. Lagers are tolerable and good for when i'm out at an Applebee's. Applebee's doesn't have a large beer selection and after a long, unfruitful day at work it is easy to just order a simple lager, not to mention cheaper; however, I prefer a heartier more flavorful beer such as a stout. Another revelation I've had is that, while I don't love beer, meaning I don't just crave it, I can drink a round of beer without making the 'face'. The face is the scrunched-up, disapproving look that a non-beer drinker displays after taking a sip of beer. If you've never seen one, you should make it a point to see it soon, its hilarious (even if it means drinking a beer in front of a mirror).In other words, I'm making progress.

I wanted something fancy tonight, but I drank beer. Compared to drinking a Bud Light it was fancy but not suit and tie fancy. Beer really is not fancy.


1 comment:

  1. I commend you for going on such an adventure to find the beer for you. I think you have broadened your horizon and knowledge of beer. I don't think I would have tried so many as you did. I have had a few, I did not like them so then I gave up on the search. This beer I have never heard of but it seems that you were disappointed in the outcome of a "fancy" beer. I guess us Americans are always fooled by a fancy name that was imported from far away lands.

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