Aahhh.. BEER. I met this devil much the same way most of you did: through peer pressure. At first taste, it was to me extremely bitter and skunky I almost puked. I wanted to break my bottle in people's faces and threaten them until they chewed glass.
But the story is different now. I fit snugly into the pinoy beer culture of nurturing friendships, celebrating good times and sitting through emo moments with SMB buckets and peanuts. I readily raise my bottle and stick my head out for a group shot. Yey, iba ang pinagsamahan!
Recently, I've been slowly including foreign beer brands to my drinking choice list, thanks to a beer connoiseur friend. "Just think of it as tastier than water, more exciting than your usual beer and cheaper than (some) wine," he kids me. So far, it's been an intruiging tasting journey. So far, so very good.
Stella Artois
Stella Artois is a Belgian lager originally created in Leuven. The brewery was built in 1336, but the beer itself was born in the 1700s and took its name after then head brewmaster Sebastien Artois. First promoted in the 1920s as a seasonal drink for the holidays, its tremendous popularity made it a year-round favorite. To this day, more than 10 million gallons are produced annually.
Stella Artois is a Belgian lager originally created in Leuven. The brewery was built in 1336, but the beer itself was born in the 1700s and took its name after then head brewmaster Sebastien Artois. First promoted in the 1920s as a seasonal drink for the holidays, its tremendous popularity made it a year-round favorite. To this day, more than 10 million gallons are produced annually.
Stella Artois has the color of straw, or light gold. It's easy to drink - crisp, clean and very refreshing. Though it tastes light, it's higher in alcohol content
(5.5 percent pv) than the beers I'm used to. One doesn't get a full-stomach feeling after a few bottles, only a faint bitter aftertaste and a dry finish.
I don't find anything extraordinary in this beer. It's very close to SMB Light in taste, but more subdued. It can easily be a ladies' favorite. I sense that with its sophisticated green bottle and no less than Adrien Brody crooning over it in that Superbowl tv ad, anyone holding up a Stella would do so with a big A (for attitude).
This beer is brewed in the Dutch city of Breda, Holland, and is exported by UDB Netherlands. The brewery, De Posthoorn, was founded in 1806 in Tilburg, a place once ruled by the famouse "beer duke" John I. Positioned as an affordable but tasty imported lager, it has quite a following from the younger consumers.
I find Royal Dutch unexciting. It pours a watery amber consistency and leaves a sour aftertaste that lingers. With an alcohol content of 4.7 percent pv, it might be a good beer to drink on hotter afternoons, as long as it's served very cold.
