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I have a buddy who visited Belgium for several months who was disappointed to find Stella Artois was very prevalent where he went. I've had Stella enough that I feel pretty certain in my personal opinion about it (that its a disappointingly skunky and overall low flavor, bud light-tasting beer). So I'm curious, does shipping Stella here cause it to get extra skunky, do we get the shit batches stateside, did my buddy only visit bars for yuppies/tourists that drink what tastes like what bud light knocked off? I mean, the only upsides I've seen to Stella is that its a little bit cooler and -slightly- better tasting than bud light which still remains miles ahead of the some of the worst beers on the American market (namely a shitty local grocery store's offbrand shit 'microbrew' and hamm's [shudders]).

I have a buddy who visited Belgium for several months who was disappointed to find Stella Artois was very prevalent where he went. I've had Stella enough that I feel pretty certain in my personal opinion about it (that its a disappointingly skunky and overall low flavor, bud light-tasting beer). So I'm curious, does shipping Stella here cause it to get extra skunky, do we get the shit batches stateside, did my buddy only visit bars for yuppies/tourists that drink what tastes like what bud light knocked off? I mean, the only upsides I've seen to Stella is that its a little bit cooler and -slightly- better tasting than bud light which still remains miles ahead of the some of the worst beers on the American market (namely a shitty local grocery store's offbrand shit 'microbrew' and hamm's [shudders]).

12 comments

[–] xyzzy 3 points (+3|-0)

It's not uncommon for beers which sell all over the world to be brewed locally and taste different depending on location. I don't know if it's the case with Stella Artois, but for example Heineken definitely does this.

[–] PMYA 2 points (+2|-0)

Stella is my go-to lager if I know I'll be drinking all day, because it is fairly cheap. It is also better than Bud, Carling, Carlsberg, Fosters and Coors, which are the most common ones you'll run into here.

I've noticed a weird smell after opening bottles I've stored away for a while. It smells exactly like weed when you open the bottle. Maybe you are on to something with shipping.

As for it being common in Belgium, it is probably because Stella is Belgian. Also, I'm not sure about Belgium, but in the UK there are two kinds of pub. The first kind are completely identical to each other in almost every way, and sell all of the same drinks. The other kind is 400 years old, has had the same 4 customers every day for its entire existence and doesn't sell a single drink you recognise. It is possible that your friend never came across the latter.

[–] PhunkyPlatypus 1 points (+1|-0)

The bottles are clear aren't they?

Could they have sat in the sun for too long during shipping, thus altering the taste?

[–] PMYA 1 points (+1|-0)

The cider ones are clear, but the lager ones are darker. I think heat may have something to do with it though. Last year I wanted to get a quick drink in before I left the house to go to a gig, but my Stella bottles were in the freezer and they were all frozen, so I put a bottle in the oven to thaw it out (retarded, I know). It had the same weed smell when I took it out and opened it.

[–] [Deleted] 1 points (+1|-0)

yeah, i suppose being a ~21 year old in europe for the first time, its hard to find the nooks and crannies where there's a more local flavor. guess i'll just have to go myself and mill around until i find a bar whose bartender speaks some incomprehensible language and point at some old dude's drink and put way too many euros on the bar.

[–] PhunkyPlatypus 2 points (+2|-0)

Huh... I always thought Stella was a hard cider. Today I learned I suppose.

[–] PMYA 2 points (+2|-0)

You're not wrong. They have a lager and a cider.

[–] PhunkyPlatypus 1 points (+1|-0)

Ah, okay. I've had the cider before and I guess I assumed that's all they made.

[–] PMYA 1 points (+1|-0)

I'm not a big fan of cider, but the Stella cider is one of two that I will drink. The other is Merrydown, I would recommend trying it if you ever come across it.