#116 – Stella Artois

#116 - Stella Artois

Size: 330 ml

ABV: 5.2 %

Despite Belgium’s reputation for craft beer, bottom-fermented lagers like Stella Artois still make up about 75% of Belgian beer production, although Stella Artois is only the second most popular beer – Jupiler still tops the list. It is in the International market however that Stella Artois has excelled, and if you ask your average Englishmen to name a Belgian beer, then sadly most will probably say Stella Artois. It is actually so popular abroad that AB/InBev have launched a 4% version in the UK and Canada, but not in Belgium. This trend has become fairly common in recent years, particularly in the UK, where there seems a definite goal to lower the alcohol content in beer. Stella Artois is not known as Wife-beater for nothing you know!

A short history of Stella Artois can be easily gleaned from all the information on the label. Brewing started in the city of Leuven in 1366 (Anno 1366), in a local brewpub called Den Hoorn (look for the horn on the logo). The heritage of the beer is very Flemish, with the traditional architecture of the region incorporated into the cartouche on the label. The name may sound very French, but that’s largely because of the change in brewmaster in 1708, when Sebastian Artois joined the ranks. His name was added to the brewery in 1717.

The brewery may have existed for a long long time, but Stella Artois in its current style was only first introduced in 1926, and only in Canada. It was launched as a Christmas beer and the name Stella was chosen to represent the latin term for ‘star’, which of course also prevalently adorns the label. By 1930, the beer was introduced successfully into the UK market, and by the 1960s a million hectolitres were being annually produced. The beer has won numerous awards over the years (again look for the medals of excellence on the label), and grown in its reputation, so much so that in 2006 the brewery were churning out well over ten million hectolitres per year.

The success of Stella Artois clearly isn’t based on its flavour, but moreover clever marketing from a succession of global beer giants. I was pleasantly surprised however on drinking a bottle that I picked up very cheaply in a Belgian drankencentrale. It was smooth, honeyed and much better than the draught guff we get in the UK. That said I have a cellar full of interesting and delicious craft beers so not sure why I would want to drink this again?

#41 – Leffe Blonde

#41 - Leffe Blonde

Size: 750 ml

ABV: 6.6 %

I already started the story of Leffe (#25), and predictably it didn’t take too long to be able to continue the tale of how she ended up as part of the world’s largest brewery, although I may (dependent on space) leave the rest for the next Leffe beer. Lets see how far we get. Ok, on with the tedious global bullshit.

We left the story on the Artois takeover of 1977. Artois themselves were the second largest brewer in Belgium at the time, and also had a rich history – having been set up in 1366 as Den Horen of Leuven. Sebastien Artois purchased the brewery in 1717 and decided to name it after himself. Meanwhile, back in 1977, and now run by the Spoelberch family, Artois were in direct competition with the largest Belgian brewer Piedboeuf, and the Van Damme family. Piedboeuf themselves had a rich history, having brewed since 1853, and neither wanted to give up the power. The end result was that to avoid the detrimental effects of intense competition, the two families merged in 1987 to form Interbrew, who eventually went on to acquire almost three quarters of the Belgian beer market. Interbrew used the brands of Stella Artois, Leffe, Hoegaarden and Jupiler to spearhead this assault, and went on to acquire numerous other brands and brewers across Europe, including Belle-Vue in 1991.

Interbrew were by now the 4^th largest brewer in Europe, although real global ambition soon took hold of them, and they sought to break into the North American market. This was always going to be a tough ask, as Anheuser-Busch and Miller dominated two thirds of the market, but craft beers from Europe were becoming more popular, and Interbrew were in a position to buy out Labatts in 1995 which really put them on the North American map. This was soon followed up by takeovers of Bass and Whitbread in the UK, Becks in Germany, Oranjeboom in the Netherlands, and Peroni in Italy among many many others. Interbrew were suddenly a major force in the world, and the company then set its sights on the very top. But surely that’s another story.

Anyway, Leffe Blonde had begun to grow on me. I was always previously a bigger fan of the brown, but was beginning to appreciate the blonde. I decided to try the 750 ml bottle. The colour was pure golden, with a lacy thin head that sat on a fizzy soup of bubbles. The taste was striking and typical of many abbey blondes but still with that recognisable Leffe taste that despite its availability is annoyingly good. I ended up finishing the whole bottle without sharing, unlike some breweries we have recently mentioned.

#25 – Leffe Brune

#25 - Leffe Brune

Size: 330 ml

ABV: 6.5 %

Almost every UK supermarket now seems to stock Leffe, in both 330ml and 750ml varieties. Since being taken over, most recently by In-Bev, the saturated marketing ploy is clearly evident. It hasn’t always been this way however, as Leffe was first brewed almost 800 years ago by the monks of St. Norbert, at a small abbey on the Meuse river in Dinant, Namur. Things went well until the 1460s when the Abbey was first flooded and then invaded by Burgundian troops. It took until 1719 for a new church to be consecrated on the site, but the good days didn’t last long, as the French Revolution took its toll on the Abbey when it was continually vandalised and eventually abandoned under Republic Law.

The Abbey saw further immeasurable grief during World War I until once again the Norbertine monks took control of the Abbey in the 1950s and eventually made a deal with the brewer Albert Lootvoet to re-launch the production of Leffe beers, starting with Leffe Brune. It seemed to work wonders, and the rest of the Leffe brands followed. 1977 was a pivotal year in which the Artois brewery came in and took control, but I will leave that story for the next Leffe beer (#41).

Leffe Brune is readily available but shouldn’t be underestimated. It is a fine drink with a good solid chocolate coloured appearance and a sweet smell. The taste is cloved and malty and stays to the end. This beer won’t win prizes but is certainly value for money.