Stella Artois

N.E. Pennsylvania (Luzerne County) beer distributors FINALLY carry Stella! Those Stella beer glasses I bought two months ago will finally come in handy.

PGW

Reply to
PGW
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PGW wrote on 06 Aug 2003:

Yawn. Save your money for a decent lager, if that's what you want to drink. Save your money for a decent Belgian beer, if that's what you want to drink. But don't throw away your money on a marketing beer like Stella Artois.

Witzel

Reply to
Dave Witzel

Just out of curiosity, where is it brewed?

Andrea

"PGW" ha scritto nel messaggio news: snipped-for-privacy@news1.epix.net...

Reply to
Andrea De Vecchi

Someone dissed me because I like Stella. That takes balls!

P

To each his own. I know there are a ton of Belgian beers out there that perhaps put Stella to shame. But as far as what types of Belgian beers are available in my area, Stella really being the only one, I'm pretty happy with it. Normally Guinness is my beer of choice but I like to switch off every now and then and try other brews.

PGW

Reply to
PGW

To each his own. I know there are a ton of Belgian beers out there that perhaps put Stella to shame. But as far as what types of Belgian beers are available in my area, Stella really being the only one, I'm pretty happy with it. Normally Guinness is my beer of choice but I like to switch off every now and then and try other brews. PGW

Reply to
PGW

PGW wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news1.epix.net:

So switch off to some good Pennsylvania lagers, there's plenty of them. Try Victory's All-Malt Lager or Prima Pils or something else local. --

***************************************************************** Dan Iwerks thinks that the beer you're drinking probably sucks. The fundamental problem with Solipsism is it makes me responsible for the fact that you're a complete idiot. *****************************************************************
Reply to
Dan Iwerks

Yuengling is good to (the traditional Lager)..but being that brewery is practically in my backyard I don't always take them for granted.

PGW

Reply to
PGW

PGW wrote on 07 Aug 2003:

Nope. Someone dissed your excitement over getting a thoroughly unremarkable import in your area.

My point being, there's no point at all in drinking Stella because it's Belgian. It's not Belgian in the manner by which beers are generally described as Belgian; it's a facsimile of the standard bland European/American lager. You'd do as well drinking one of those, as they're cheaper.

As is commendable. You'll be quite disappointed, however, with Stella if you're looking for an interesting lager. As you're Pennsylvanian, you have many good breweries around you, some brewing a basic lager you would find more flavorful and interesting than boring old Stella.

Witzel

Reply to
Dave Witzel

Yes PA has many interesting breweries (or micro-brews) throughout the state. There are a few up start outfits in my area making some decent lagers. One in particular which I have tried and liked very much was the Yards Brewery in Philly. Also two micros in the Poconos that do a good job as well..Barley Creek and Pocono Brew Co. As far as the Stella goes, so I'm guilty for liking a lager that may not be up to yours or anyone elses snuff? Other boozers I know that have tried it didn't find it boring at all.

PGW

Reply to
Pete G. Wilcox

I wasn't aware Yards was making lagers. Never seen a Yards lager in a bottle, but then I've never had a draft Yards beer.

Aside from driving past, have no experience with either. I'm glad you have good local choices for beer. Everyone should have your predicament.

Okay, so what's the problem? Can you tell me/us what it is about Stella Artois that you and other boozers enjoy and do not find boring? I/we aren't going to take your head off for liking a particular beer, but it helps to understand why you like a beer that exists in U.S. markets solely because of Interbrew's marketeering efforts.

Witzel

Reply to
Dave Witzel

Since when does buying beer have to be so political? Does Interbrew practice bad marketing habits? I don't let a beer company's marketing dept. dictate my taste in beer. If it taste good to me I'll drink it. Yes Stella has been in the larger markets for a long, long time and now its finally more accessible to those of us who live out in the sticks. You think it's boring and I don't think it is. Those are our opinions. But I for one happen to like it's taste and smoothness. If I knew my thread was going to cause such a rift I never would have posted it. End of story.

PGW

Reply to
PGW

Who said anything about political? My personal experience is one of disappointment, and all I asked, both times, was why you liked it. Both times you've replied to me in a highly defensive posture ("so I'm guilty for liking a lager that may not be up to yours or anyone elses snuff?","Since when does buying beer have to be so political?"), which is a curious course of action.

Fine. My experience is that many, many, many people drink it because the marketing effort put forth tries to convey its Belgian heritage, hoping consumers will connect the dots between Stella and Belgium's reputation for world-class beers. Way too many non-beergeeks order it when we're at a bar and tell me "it's Belgian, right? So it's good."

In trying to suss out why you were so excited to see Stella Artois "in the sticks," I asked whether it was because the marketing drew you to the beer.

Stella, in my mind and probably yours too, does not fit the profile one usually draws up when speaking of world-class Belgian beers. The marketing is successful in getting the average consumer to connect those dots, much like Corona gets consumers to buy its beer without talking about its taste.

If I had known, I would have sent you a case.

Those sentences were all I was asking you for. I'd prefer more on the taste aspect, but baby steps are okay.

I don't see this rift. Sounds like you feel you're being attacked, which my previous post apparently failed to make clear (waaay up there with the ">>" line prefix).

Here's a story for you. My first experience with Stella Artois was in the mid- or late-90s, before it was being strongly pushed by Interbrew. Since it was completely out-of-the-blue new to me, but Belgian beer was not, I ordered a pint, had a sip, and had to make doubly sure that it was poured from that tap. It was so, well, ordinary and flavorless as to be pitiable.

I suppose it is a notch up from Budweiser or Miller product since it's adjunct free (or close to it), but that in no way justifies its price tag. It's mass-marketed light lager from a different source than the Big Three. IMO.

By the way, in North America I believe it's brewed by Labatt.

Witzel

Reply to
Dave Witzel

Interbrew is one of the "Bad Guys" in that they steamroller over smaler breweries, buy up older, respected breweries and change or discontinue products, have known beers contract-brewed (badly) in other breweries and even countries, etc. So yes, buying beer can be "political," and Interbrew does what some of us us consider bad things.

You'll find that many people who are passionate about a subject will let their moral sense have some say in who they do business with.

-- Joel Plutchak Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots

"Resorting to personal harassment is a tactic of desperation."

Reply to
plutchak joel peter

I didn't know anything about Interbrew until I started this thread. Thanks for the info!!

PGW

Reply to
Pete G. Wilcox

Well, I don't exactly know where Luzerne County is in NE PA (and I'm not gonna bother doing a MapQuest...), but I do know that one of the best beer selections on the East Coast is *also* in NE PA- Shangy's (40 East Main St. Emmaus, PA 18049 610-961-1701). Shangy's has dozens of Belgians...

Here's some reviews-

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Reply to
Nospamformethanks

But who can forget Marlon Brando's plea....Stella, Stella.

Heck, I had to try it just because a) it was Belgian and b) cause it seems to be a big hit in the UK and c) I saqw this beer program on the food network and this average Joe was pulled off the street and asked to identify 2 glasses of beer, which he did. One was Budweiser, the other was Stella Artois.

Anywhooo...I bought some Stella via the internet and well, it's not a bad brew at all but.... my bucks demand better FPO. That's Flavour Per Ounce. ;^)

Now, I've just gotten a case of Ballantine Ale in from Binny's and, well...that's *another* story I'll have to share in another post.

Best regards, Bill

Reply to
Bill Becker

Yeah!! I've been there. It's south of me; an hour of driving time. Nice store! Spacious, clean and well lit. Not dark like a cavernous warehouse.

PGW

Reply to
PGW

Um, I saw that show. Couple of years ago? "Follow That Beer" or something similar? And the guy went on about how he could tell it was Budweiser because of "the Beechwood Aging?" He was a shill.

You learned your lesson, which is the important thing to remember here.

Oh dear God.

Witzel

Reply to
Dave Witzel

snipped-for-privacy@mac.com (Pete G. Wilcox) wrote on 08 Aug 2003:

You should Groups-google Stella Artois in rec.food.drink.beer sometime if you want more piling on.

Because the market will bear that price. Even A-B's new "World Select" "pilsner" is $7/six.

I've been. It's close to a relative's home, and it was recommended by some German on this list, Bertha or Gunther or something. Very nice, good prices, wide selection. Paid around $30 for a case sampler of Weyerbacher strong seasonals (Impy, Impy Raspberry, Blithering Idiot, Tripel), which is pretty farking good.

You have some excellent Belgian bar/restaurants in the Philadelphia area, and I believe there's a John Harvard's close to the Beer Yard that has had great beers, Imperial stout included.

Witzel

Witzel

Reply to
Dave Witzel

That's putting it mildly, Dave, :^(

Best regards, Bill

Reply to
Bill Becker

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