Stella Artois - Stella Artois

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.88/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Rating it again because the can was about as good as the bottle. So if youa re stuck, at least you will get a mediocre OK interbrew that's not metallic tasting. Had a pint on the patio at end of a hot afternoon and could cope. Malt lager that is pale and on bitter side.

Serving type: can

07-14-2004 00:41:18 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.05/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

"Stellaaa... Stellaaa... Stellaaa... "

--Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski in 'A Streetcar Named Desire'

Lucent goldenrod capped by a sticky, bright, white head that's a damn sight better than the heads on most pale lagers. Although the color of the beer is nothing to get excited about, the cap is impressing me to no end. It's rocky, bumpy, bubbly and pitted. In short, it possesses all the geologic features you'd care to name. As well, small cloud formations of thick, pocked lace adhere to the glass. Who'd 'a thunk it?

I've come to expect that green glass bottled beer will deliver a cloud of skunkiness upon opening, so I'm no longer surprised or dismayed when it happens. The question becomes, how quickly and how completely will the nastiness fade? In this case, it lingers a bit, but isn't so noticeable that the nose is ruined. Not that there's much to ruin. I can appreciate the usual graininess, the usual musty hoppiness, and, on a positive note, the merest trace of citrus.

On the palate, Stella is no better and no worse than the legions of EPLs that have entered my glass over the years. Okay, it's probably a little better, but we're not talking award winning beer here. The malt structure is acceptable and tastes and feels a wee bit more generous than is usual. I wish beer of this style tasted like something other than stale, musty noble hops. That 'staleness' has nothing to do with age, because the 'best by' date is still a ways off. Would it be better fresh, from the source? Almost certainly.

Although pale malt provides an decent base for the hops, there's very little malty sweetness. Bitterness reigns, which makes me wonder why all those wannabees suck this stuff down with such abandon. I guess marketing and perceived image are powerful things. Thankfully, there are no off-flavors to be had. The finish is clean, crisp and short.

The mouthfeel, as previously noted, is the slightest bit more full than the EPL average (if such a thing exists), although I could just as easily be hallucinating. The carbonation feels just right to me... since I didn't really notice it until I focused on it for the purpose of assigning a score.

I can't find it in me to summon up Stanley's passionate angst about Stella (the beer), either in terms of favor or disfavor. Other than its surprisingly good looks, I find it to be average in the extreme. No fireworks and no duds here, just another boring, forgettable Euro pale lager.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2006 14:33:55 | More by BuckeyeNation

mikesgroove

South Carolina

1.73/5  rDev -43.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Had this at dinner. Poured a dull pale fizzy yellow. White seltzer head which faded to nothing. No lace. Hardly a smell, I guess a light malt if anything. Taste was very bland, should have known that was coming. This is your typical Macro Lager. Will not have another.

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2006 02:46:55 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

3.4/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: The beer pours a crystal clear straw color with a fizzy white head that is fairly short lived, but does cling to the glass a bit.

S: Surprisingly not very skunky. A touch of skunk, yes, but it's mostly clean grain notes. A bit of bread and a fair amount of sweetness with a light straw and grass character. There is an ever so slight...sourness to it, however.

T: The taste is mostly just sweet and fizzy. A lot of adjunct sort of flavors and a lot of grain. Not too much real substantial malt flavor, but a little bit of pale, biscuit notes to it. Some faint hops and a mild bitterness.

M: Light in body with a rather high carbonation.

O: Though it's easy to hate on this beer, when it's not completely skunked, it's not an awful one.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 02:59:56 | More by womencantsail

Thorpe429

Illinois

2.17/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Reviewed from notes.

The pour is a very light golden color with a slight white head and not very much lacing. The nose is some really light grain husks plus a touch of light hopping. The taste is some very light floral and earthy hops plus some mild grain. The feel is ever-so-slightly bitter with a pretty good dose of carbonation and is certainly light. Decent body, but doesn't taste very good.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2010 00:08:17 | More by Thorpe429

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.58/5  rDev -16%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a plain-looking, clear, yellow body with a tall, foamy, white head.

Smell: Grainy pale malts blended with corn kernels and vague floral notes.

Taste: Again, it's grainy pale maltiness with maize and a slight sweetness. Touch of floral hops but no real bitterness. Just a touch of sour yeastiness. Finishes squeaky clean.

Mouthfeel: Thin-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Drinkability: Not quite reprehensible, but notable for it's blandness and lack of character.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2008 02:04:51 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.08/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Best before 1/2013.

Pours a crystal clear yellow-gold with a 1 inch foamy white head that settles to a thin cap on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of light grain aromas and some pretty serious skunking up front that dissipates with time. Taste is of grains and some herbal and grassy flavors. There is a mild bitterness with each sip that quickly fades. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty average lager all around that's not all that bad once the skunk disappears.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 03:24:08 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

2.8/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Tap: Poured a golden colored beer with a nice foamy white head. Aroma is mostly light floral with some malt. Taste is very light and refreshing with again some malt and floral aspect coming through. Medium carbonation with light body. Very little else to mention for this beer apart from the fact that it seems to be better on tap then in bottle. Overall, a refreshing session-type lager.

Serving type: on-tap

05-27-2004 18:26:50 | More by Phyl21ca

BEERchitect

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +30.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoyed at my favorite pizza pub. A very clean and well brewed beer. Aromas are big on the noble / Euro hops for an earthy and spicy mix. Good pisner / biscuit malts shows yeasty and bready character. Looks a medium yellow with medium carbonation. A good head that lingerred and laced nicely. Flavors are lightly malty and picks up on a bit of grain, bread, vegetals, and red apples. Light hop spices and solid hop bittering closes out the complexity. Has a light to medium weight on the toung with a full, almost creamy texture. Finishes lightly dry and a bit minty. A very good beer for style. It stands up nicely to my favorite Bohemian Pilsners.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2005 21:51:43 | More by BEERchitect

oberon

North Carolina

3.13/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

At the place I went and had this the yuppie folk were buying this up left and right,I guess its the sheek beer around here.Poured into a fancy glass a straw yellow color with pretty nice head,smell was nothing in particular maybe a little hop?Taste was nothing spectacular a little malty with some thrown in at the end.Belgian Budweiser maybe?Anyways not offended by it but nothing to write home about.

Serving type: on-tap

05-07-2003 10:50:28 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev +23.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Crystal clear and golden in color. The head is a tight 1/8", and bright white. It dissipates somewhat but leaves a touch of Belgian-lace on the glass. The aroma has a slight "sour" malt note and a surprising earthy hoppiness in the background. The body is medium/light and it has an appropriate level of carbonation. The flavor is of a clean, thin malt with a touch of hops. Crisp. Very well balanced. Refreshing, dry aftertaste with good length. Not necessarily lacking in character - it definitely has it's own uniqueness - but not real complex. Then again, how many golden, mass market lagers do? Well done!

Serving type: on-tap

08-06-2002 07:00:18 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.2/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Stella Artois balloon glass at Finn McCool's.

Honestly, I just wanted to look fancy during Quizzo, so I ordered this, knowing full well the glass it would come in. Pinky up! It pours a clear pale straw topped by over a finger of white froth. The nose comprises corn syrup, wheat, rice, and flowers. The taste doesn't deviate much from this formula, though the rice isn't really that prevalent here. Some very light sweetgrass notes pop up as well. The body is quite light, with a moderate carbonation and a somewhat watery feel. Overall, a very OK brew, nothing close to Earth-shattering, but drinkable enough, especially when just hanging out at a normal bar while trying not to get destroyed in pub trivia. (I hate losing...)

Serving type: on-tap

10-15-2010 14:55:03 | More by TMoney2591

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.63/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: clear, golden color, with a prodigious, snow-white head of foam, pristine, creamy, inviting.
Aroma: slightly hoppy, with a typical lager smell, dry and clean, still fresh, though this is the very last pour from this keg.
Taste: Crisp, tidy hop bite up front, slowly fading off, but returning with each sip, very smooth, eminently refreshing. A sweetish taste emerges, with notes of honey and citrus. Light bodied. Snappy, tasty, with a pleasant finish.
I anticipated liking this less. In fact my first try was from a sample bottle provided free. Wasn't moved, even disliked it, at first, but it grew on me. On tap, as you can tell from other reviews, it's quite a nice, simple, thirst-quenching, quaffable pils. I can easily understand it's popularity. There's just enough flavor to make this well worth drinking, and not be just another "pizza chaser", bland lager.

Serving type: on-tap

11-05-2003 06:22:04 | More by feloniousmonk

WesWes

New York

3.33/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The beer poured a light gold color with a white lace head. The aroma is decent. It has a clean and refreshing scent. It smells of pale malts and lager yeast. The taste is rather good. It goes down smooth and easy. It's simple; pale malts, water, hops, and yeast. It also has that skunky green bottle taste to it. The mouthfeel is good. It is a low bodied beer with good carbonation. This is a good lager. Id drink this again and I typically hate lagers.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2004 01:48:35 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev +20.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Beer poured into conic glass. White head falls away without lacing on the glass. Moderate to high carbonation, looks really nice. Clear yellow. Carbonation is steady.

Beer smells fine. Nothing special here. Some ethers, some grain, no hops or alcohol or malt to speak of.

Beer is crisp and has a medium to low body. It finishes nicely, its not terrible. Its a fine pleasing example of a bland pale lager. No bitterness. Its not horrible, just average.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2009 03:49:31 | More by drabmuh

metter98

New York

3.08/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pouring with a finger high bright white head, the beer is crystal clear straw yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. The head quickly died down but never completely faded away and left a thin layer of bubbles consistently covering the surface.
S: There are light aromas of floral hops and spicy yeast in the nose.
T: The taste shares a lot of similarities with the smell and also has flavors of grainy malts along with some hints of sweetness and a slight amount of bitterness.
M: It feels light-bodied on the palate with a slight amount of crispness and dryness. There is a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The beer isn't that difficult to drink, although I'm not sure if I would try another because the taste wasn't very interesting.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 01:50:11 | More by metter98

zeff80

Missouri

3.53/5  rDev +15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.
It has a clear golden yellow color with lots of bubbles and little head. It smelled of corn. There was also a faint skunky smell which seems typical of most green bottled European brews. The corn flavor comes out as you drink it. I also noted a vanilla-like taste, as well. It had a crisp mouthfeel and was quite drinkable. I would've had more but I only had one on hand.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2006 19:18:46 | More by zeff80

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.15/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Best By Date September 2008; Sampled January 2008
Pours with a frothy, fat-one-finger thick, pale, actually nearly perfectly with colored head. The beer is a brilliantly clear, bright gold color. Aromas of sweet grain, grassy malt, faintly lemon-like and slightly herbal hop notes as well as a faint note of stale soda crackers. The aroma is fairly light, but seems clean overall.

This was served at about 40°F (5°C), which causes this well carbonated beer to have a peppery carbonic acid bite to it up front. Crisp, and clean up front with a biting bitterness that easily cuts through the light malt character here. The hop bitterness picks up a bit of herbal hop character to it as it moves towards the finish. The malt character starts out pretty dry and really nonexistent, but picks up a soft grain-like sweetness and a touch of cracker-like malt by the time one gets to the finish. This is very clean and at this temperature has not off flavors. Quite crisp and refreshing actually, but I'll admit that when I am in need of crisp and refreshing I usually opt for water. This is certainly not a bad beer, if they had only used a quirky, Belgian yeast this might actually be quite tasty.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2008 01:22:38 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

2.83/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

On-tap 8/28/08 at British Beer Company in Walpole, MA, served in a nonic glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color, with a large white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of light malts, grain and some hops.

T: The taste is bready but light with flavors of grain, adjunct, some yeast. There's a mild hops presence that provides a little balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp but not very smooth, light-to-medium body, medium-to-high carbonation, finish is dry.

D: Not very flavorful, goes down ok, not very filling, decent kick, since I didn't really find much difference between this beer and many of the macros out there, I would choose most of them first simply because they're cheaper. This beer didn't give me much of a reason to select it again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2008 15:20:33 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

This beer is pretty generic. The color is a golden yellow a fizzy white head. The aroma smells like a traditional lager, it's kinda got a sour aroma. The flavor is kind of like a pilsner, it's a little grassy but it has some hops too. The mouthfeel is light enough to drink a few in a row if you want to. My thoughts on this beer overall is that this beer is indeed a generic lager made in Belgium. Not a whole lot more to really say about this one.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2011 04:39:32 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.03/5  rDev +31.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this at airport in phoneix (sp?) & was impressed, been a long time since I've had this

Poured golden & effervescent with a 1" white head. Efferevescence held up well through the pint. Great lacing & good head retention

S: Sweet malt

T: Sweet malt with a slight crisp citric hop smack up front. Slight fruitty edge & then a nice crisp & malty finish

MF: Soft, with medium body, good carbonation & balance

Drank very easy, wouldn't want to stay on it all day, but could if that was the best beer on offer. Nothing too exotic here just a real quaffable lager

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2006 04:39:52 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

3.5/5  rDev +14%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

22.4 oz. green bottle,

A: Pours a pale yellow, with a small soapy white head, fair retention, no lacing.

S: Medium scent of bread malt, light acidity.

T: Light sourdough bread balances a surprisingly strong noble hop element, very earthy. A bit of sugary sweetness in the aftertaste.

M: Crsip biting carbonation, light but has a stronger overall flavour and aftertaste than most Euro lagers.

D: One of the better mainstream European lagers out there. The flavour can get boring at times, but overall still pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2008 02:01:07 | More by Halcyondays

Gavage

New Jersey

3.23/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Arrived in a pint glass looking weak as it was yellow in color, had a spotty surface foam for a head, and very few carbonation bubbles rising to the surface. The aroma is of grass and some hops are detectable. The flavor is simple and mellow, as grass tones and mild bitterness are the lone major flavors, but there is a slight hint of citrus.

Mouthfeel was surprising crisp at the start and finish (based on the flat appearance), and had a clean finish. Drinkability is fine, but overall this brew is slightly dull.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2005 20:12:43 | More by Gavage

jwc215

New Jersey

3.23/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Stella glass. The color was a clean golden yellow with moderate carbonation. The head was white and fizzly but soon became a disappointing thin lacing.
It smelled of some hops and a touch of alcohol with a slight tinge of skunk.
The taste was very average for a euro - lager. Nothing really offensive, but nothing notable. It had a touch of fruity hops, and a clean aftertaste. There was some metallic taste to it.
It could be drinkable in a place where the other alternatives are worse. Not bad for a fall-back beer. I would drink this over most American macros and other green bottled euro lagers.
I remember having this on tap several times awhile back and the slight skunky metallic taste was not present. Still average to slightly above average Euro lager.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2006 20:26:05 | More by jwc215

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

2.83/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a crystal clear light yellow colour, with lots of puffy white head, that melts away quickly, leaving spotty lacing around the glass. The smell is sweet white grain maltiness, and mild grassy hops. The taste is dirty, grassy hops, with a muddled cereal grain malt body. The carbonation is a little high, leading to an acrid mouthfeel, and the finish has a strange sweetness. There is definitely flavour in this beer, but it's confused, and leaves a less than pleasant aftertaste - a bit of the dreaded 'bitter beer' one.

I used to drink this while at establishments that involved consuming a formidable amount of mixed drinks before nursing beers the remainder of the evening, and this was the best option, or so it seemed. Now, while not blatantly offensive, it's not particularly drinkable; only slightly better than the ubiquitous Molsons and Buds of the pub/club circuit.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2009 02:22:45 | More by biboergosum