Stella on the Web


Don't you long for the days when Stella was a super sexy name, picturing Marlon Brando running down the street yelling "Stella, Stella"? Instead I always picture Bette Midler starring in the crapfest that is "Stella". But, the name is making a comeback with the Comedy Central show "Stella" from some of the members of "The State". Around the same time as "Stella" was burning up my DVR, I became familiar with Stella Artois. Not in a normal place but, in school. It was part of a discussion in class about Budweiser and global competition. See, when you get a Rockhurst MBA you spend quite a little bit of time in class talking about beer. One of my professors worked at Anheuser Busch for 15 years or so and another wrote his doctoral dissertation on beer. All that is neither her not there except for the fact that the history of beer is pretty interesting to me and the name Stella is turning sexy again.

When Wes and I received the email from the fine folks at Stella Artois saying they had swag to offer and a free preview of their theatrical website, I thought it would be the same old beer marketing with funny ads and hot chicks. While there were 'hos on the Stella Artois website, they were not the focus (in my view an out of focus 'ho is a good 'ho). Instead, Stella has made a little 5 minute movie about the hazards and pitfalls of serving the perfect beer. Along the way in the movie there are some activities you can engage in or you can just view the whole movie. The activities are kind of spotty, but I did dig the pouring the perfect draft Stella. It was fun making the bartender mad, but it was even more fun to watch the bartender try to get me to take my eyes off the beer. The scoring system was whack (am I less ghetto if I don't know the proper spelling of the slang word?) though, I should have been penalized heavier for putting an umbrella in my Stella, in my defense I couldn't tell what one of the items was. The history activities were pretty fun, short little vignettes about important points in Stella Artois history. Sadly, I still don't know when they put the Stella in front of the name.

So, if you have some time, cruise on over to Stella Artois and watch the movie, La Bouteille, it really is a kind of fun way to learn about Stella Artois.

One other thing, since I now know the proper method to pour a Stella, I'm curious why the bartender in La Bouteille, didn't follow the steps (or we didn't see him follow the steps) and didn't put the little soaker thing at the bottom of the chalice. I'm also curious why I've never gotten a Stella served to me with the little soaker thing at the bottom. Can I be quality control on this thing? Stella can send me to all the bars in the area and make sure they pour the perfect Stella. I'm also curious if every brewery has their own preferred method of pouring. I vaguely recall Boulevard having some guidelines and I know that Guinness has guidelines. I've never worked as a bartender so I don't know, but I'm definitely going to keep an eye out next time I order a Stella.

One other quibble about the movie, couldn't they have had a red headed bearded bartender in the lead role instead of a shaved dude with neat hair. Come on, it was like 1850 London or something, nobody had that good of a shave then.

OK, my whoring is over, but my next post will be speaking of prison.

Here's a little Stella history for you!

1366 - Its origins lie as far back as 1366. Records of taxes exist on
Leuven's Den Horen Brewery, a brewery that is still in existence today.

1708 - Sebastian Artois becomes the master brewer at Den Horen.

1717 - Sebastian Artois gives his name to the brewery.

1926 - Stella Artois was launched initially as a seasonal beer especially
for the Christmas holiday market.

1930 - The first Stella Artois beer is exported to the European market.

1960 - 1 million hl of Stella Artois is produced annually for the first time.

1993 - InBev opens a new fully automated brewery in Leuven.

2006 - Total production volume reaches over 10 million annually.

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