Stella Artois - classic or dud?

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Reassuringly expensive? Wife-beater? Chemical slop? Get 'em in?

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:29 (twenty years ago)

Dud. Hangovers.

― KeithW (kmw), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:31 (twenty years ago)

It was never expensive. It was marketed as such to make you seem "discerning" by buying it, or appear "rich" by drinking it (out the bottle, natch)

But I always quite liked it.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:32 (twenty years ago)

Dud all the way. But in some pubs it's like: Stella OR Carlsberg. It's like country OR western really. The ads are so weird: they totally fail to project the actual image of 'Stella' [=expensive shirt-wearing date-rapists' tipple of choice]. I mean it's not very 'French'. In fact, I don't think it's too prominent in France, where the far superior Kro reigns.

― henry miller, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:33 (twenty years ago)

it originates from Belgium but what people drink in British pubs is brewed in the UK. i imagine it tastes better/is poured better on the continent ala Heineken. i had a really great pint of it in a pub in deepest Hertfordshire once tho. i prefer Kroney also.

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:37 (twenty years ago)

dud, very chemically, nasty hanovers, dont like the taste much either

― lukey (Lukey G), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:37 (twenty years ago)

The ads are so weird: they totally fail to project the actual image of 'Stella' [=expensive shirt-wearing date-rapists' tipple of choice]

well duh

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:44 (twenty years ago)

you know what i mean though! the ads are set in amelie-land.

― henry miller, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:46 (twenty years ago)

I've never had any, but dudes.....Kerry and Jeff from Slayer are holding three cans of it on the back cover of Reign In Blood! So classic, automatically.

― Aaron Hertz (AaronHz), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:53 (twenty years ago)

the ads are great tho, irrespective of the product.

i've never seen Red Stripe advertised on TV...

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:55 (twenty years ago)

classic but very flatulence-inducing

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 10:55 (twenty years ago)

red stripe has funny radio commercials they say "yay...beer!" in a thick jamacian accent

― chaki in charge (chaki), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:03 (twenty years ago)

It is something I will willingly drink as a last resort. But I don't drink pints any more because of FEAR OF FAT, so right now... dud.

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:23 (twenty years ago)

It's all about Scrumpy Jack nowadays.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:24 (twenty years ago)

I will drink it from bottles or occasionally cans but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES in pints any more because it is, frankly, loopy juice.

I don't mind the taste especially, but then I don't mind chemical slop. Its better in pints than Kronenberg, which is too heavy and frankly rub compared to the French stuff.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:28 (twenty years ago)

In any case I'm mostly drinking bitter these days, partly because its winter and partly because it inhabits a nice happy medium alcohol-wise that you don't get with lager in pubs. As Enrique points out it mostly seems to be either piss-weak fizzy water or wankered-after-three-pints stuff.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:30 (twenty years ago)

Kronenbourg is the only lager I actively like! and Kronenbourg Blanc as well which is fabulously girly.

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:31 (twenty years ago)

yes, the girlier the better (i drank peach beer in the Albany the other week, but only because they were out of the Raspberry)

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:32 (twenty years ago)

there's a pub next to Great Portland Street station which sells strawberry beer! It tasted quite confusing.

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:33 (twenty years ago)

I like the stella.. it gets me drunk. sometimes i drink coca cola. in order to stay sober. grolsch is good too.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:33 (twenty years ago)

actually it may well be the Albany (xpost)

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:33 (twenty years ago)

yeah, the french kro is a rocker. i'm not so good with '1664' (ie it's about 6% alcohol) but the other stuff, yay. i'm not a big lager drinker. it's a lot of liquid to take on. and it's more liquidy, somehow, than bitter. so i drink that.

warsteiner is okay. grolsch is okay.

― henry miller, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:34 (twenty years ago)

but pronouncing grolsch is a bitch after 2 pints.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:34 (twenty years ago)

Its better in pints than Kronenberg, which is too heavy and frankly rub compared to the French stuff.

which French stuff? it's all made here anyway, probably all in the same giant vat, with a bunch of dogs swimming around in it.

i just can't stand the taste of bitter after half a pint of that. blame the sweet tooth perhaps.

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:34 (twenty years ago)

the Southwark Tavern also does a nice (expensive) strawb beer if you're that was inclined

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:35 (twenty years ago)

'all booze tastes better on the continent' is a rule of thumb isn't it?

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:36 (twenty years ago)

arr, for yer only a short stroll away from yer hotel, I mean ship, me hearties...

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:38 (twenty years ago)

it's fine!

― m. (mitchlnw), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:39 (twenty years ago)

When it comes to lagers in UK pubs, I don't mind Stella, and indeed in many situations (like gigs) it's down to Stella or Carling, so Stella wins. I do prefer Kronenbourg though (I thought there was only one type).

I used to drink Stella more in Toronto - it tasted different. I don't know if it was actually imported from Belgium or not - it could very well be made in Canada - but it tasted pretty good, and has a much better reputation than it does here.

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:39 (twenty years ago)

All poncey lager might, Stevem.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:40 (twenty years ago)

It's OK, but the courts are always too fast and it seems like some bizarre abrupt version of the game after the attritional rigours of clay court season. That period in the mid-90s when there never seemed to be a service break in the later rounds was ridiculous.

There's always the danger of overdosing on televised tennis before the real deal begins a fortnight later too.

Favourite moments: Lendl (peaking two weeks early) putting McEnroe and Becker to the sword in consecutive rounds in '90; that insane Rusedski-Ivanisevic tie-breaker in '98 (?); Pecci's run to the final in '79; Matsuoka's heroics vs Edberg in '92...

Oh, wait...

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:41 (twenty years ago)

I think '1664' Kronenbourg is all we get here. In France they have that *and*... something else. Just 'Kronenbourg' I think. It's more like 4%. Red and White cans, seems more widespread than 1664.

― Miles Finch, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:42 (twenty years ago)

Nonnoononono we have Kronenbourg PREMIUM now! It is twice the price and a couple more percent. Of course it tastes just as bad as normal Kronie but wot can one do eh.

― Starry (hello chickens), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:46 (twenty years ago)

I love you Mike.

Miles is right - I remember having wee bottles of "1664" once which I was sad to see only had 4% alcohol. Now I'd be delighted to discover a decent lager that's not too strong.

Stella's Jean de Florette marketing does work wonders, though - the fact that they're still using it (and the "reassuringly expensive" catchphrase) 15 years after the film indicates they're onto a winner.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:48 (twenty years ago)

xpost
Stevem
In the UK their were Red Stripe Ads on tv say 10-15 years ago, They had lots of gritty urban scenes with the red stripe being a radio band selector going between variouse music styles. i believe the tag line was "follow the red stripe"

― lukey (Lukey G), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:54 (twenty years ago)

Haha Mike!

That Stella Artois = dud because Roddick always wins it these days.

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:56 (twenty years ago)

I drink Stella if I'm trying to get drunk, but if I was just having a couple of pints I'd choose something that weaker that tastes nicer.

― The Horse of Babylon (the pirate king), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:57 (twenty years ago)

Red Stripe good, Crucial Brew very very bad.

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 11:57 (twenty years ago)

something that weaker that tastes nicer

That's not quite what I was trying to say.

― The Horse of Babylon (the pirate king), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:01 (twenty years ago)

In the UK their were Red Stripe Ads on tv say 10-15 years ago, They had lots of gritty urban scenes with the red stripe being a radio band selector going between variouse music styles. i believe the tag line was "follow the red stripe"

hmmm that rings a tiny bell but i can't trust my memory on this one

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:03 (twenty years ago)

I saw a quite good ad for Red Stripe on a big board, that looked like it'd been drawn in chalk. It had lots of words that ended in '-ation'. It could probably be descibed as quaint.

Kronenbourg Blanc is amazing. A good pint of Stella can actually be fairly special but I doubt that most people who drink it care much either way

― DJ Mencap0))), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:22 (twenty years ago)

Stella is usually drinkable enough, at least compared to Tennants, but it's pretty dud in the general scheme of things.
Regular French Kronenbourg is very palatable, but y'all looking to the wrong countries for yr premium lagers. Warsteiner is one of the least interesting German lagers. Bavarian Pilsners are invariably tasty though. But clearly the Czech Republic is where it's at - Urquell, Budvar, Krusovice are best, but Staropramen is nice too, also Radegast if you can get it.
Belgium does produce some amazing beers though - kriek, white beer. Yum yum!

― stew, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:26 (twenty years ago)

I've only seen this ad at the cinema.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:28 (twenty years ago)

i love tennents. (regular and super T)

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:31 (twenty years ago)

the ads are set in amelie-land

I thought they were originally meant to be parodies of Jean de Florette (and also Manon des Sources, of course).

It's a bit of a mish-mash - a Belgian beer whose ads portray it as French, with Italian music in the background.

― caitlin (caitlin), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:31 (twenty years ago)

yeah, the original inspiration was 'manon/jean'. i guess 'amelie' is their logical successor in the 'france for export' stakes. the ads have somehow gone wartime now, so 'a very long engagement' aka 'amelie 2' seems to be based on the stella ads, postmodernly.

― Miles Finch, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

Actually Stella = dud because I am so sodding fed-up of Ye Olde French clips before every single film C4 shows ever. USE DIFFERENT IDEAS PLEASE STELLA.

― Starry (hello chickens), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:35 (twenty years ago)

STELLAAAA...can't ya hear me yell-ah...

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:38 (twenty years ago)

I was at one of those free booze and cash for your dimwitted opinions on ads evenings and they had all these set it up ragamuffin red stripe ads. I said I didn't like them cos I don't like drum and bass, not sure if this was helpful. they need to re-brand red stripe as electrohouse, and have an ad with arnaud rebotini killing a goat.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 12:49 (twenty years ago)

It tastes like Lychees

― Nellie (nellskies), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 13:32 (twenty years ago)

i've never had a problem with getting out of hand from it, but i have a friend who always blames drunken acting out on "being on the stella." thing is, he's just an obnoxious drunk in general. i'm really tempted to share this with him the next time he's all "oh, sorry i told your boyfriend's housemate that he looks like a garden gnome*. it's the stella, innit."

* actually happened.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 13:50 (twenty years ago)

I think Krombacher is alot worse than Stella for that, it's always on special offer here.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 13:51 (twenty years ago)

Dud.

Lauren, sorry but I have to take your friend's side on this one.

I drank a twelve pack once on my girlfriend's sister's porch, not realizing how much alcohol was in it. I ended up getting "angry drunk", throwing empty bottles into the street & threatened to kill someone I didn't like. They ended up dead about a year later, luckily from a drug overdose, otherwise I probably would have been a suspect.

Dud. Definitely dud.

― jay blanchard (jay blanchard), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:05 (twenty years ago)

dud. tastes like budweiser. it's the belgian beer for people who don't like the taste of beer. this was probably already said, but i didn't read the thread. great marketing though.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:10 (twenty years ago)

it is the cool cheap alternative to bud in the US these days.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:16 (twenty years ago)

it's not cheap here. but very little is, beerwise.

― Miles Finch, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)

Drinking Stella in pints turns me into an aggressive groping horror.

San Miguel's nice.

― Ferg, Ah (Ferg), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

Stella good, Becks barf.

I'm sure I've seen Red Stripe ads (now attack me if I'm mistaken) - some guy on a boat in the Caribbean heading home, then decides to jump overboard and swim back to the island he's just left? Something along those lines.

Knowing me it was probably for razors or Corsas or something.

― Rumpington Lane, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 15:08 (twenty years ago)

How long has the "Wife-beater" tag been around for it? To my mind I think it's about 6 months or so.

I really hate the fact it's my default drink in-a-new-pub-and-don't-know-what-to-order-and-the-young-barlady-is-staring-at-me-and-so-is-that-old-guy-who-looks-au-fait-with-nasty-and-practiced-violence kind of way. I am, however breaking this habit.

It's not half as good as Heineken Export which is on the rise in pubs to my delight, or Sanny Mig (that's San Miguel for the non-Scouse).

Sidenote - anyone tried any of those new-ish lagers they serve in "Bars" (you know the ones) that are very non-fizzy and loaded with msg so they make you more thirsty? Worse than Hitler.

― Bernard the Butler (Lynskey), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 15:26 (twenty years ago)

Stella good, Becks barf.

I quite like both. Becks doesn't give me hangovers.

I've seen Red Stripe tv ads recently but usually they're late at night. They're really great though. The one I've seen most often features this Red Stripe Ambassador/Jamaican guy doing an infomercial:
http://livedelivery.com/I/2136094/ambassador_tv_animation.gif

― contribute, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 18:21 (twenty years ago)

I've always loved it until I got back from London/Dublin and had some over the weekend. It tasted stale and kind of eh.

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 18:39 (twenty years ago)

Possibly the poorest-taste ad I've ever seen is the one where the Allied pilot is being hidden in the little French brasserie.. the Nazis walk in and the proprietor is standing in front of the pilot's hiding place, but realizes he left the Stella tap on, and it's pouring quickly into a pint glass.. he glances at it, it's almost to the top, but if he moves to get it the Nazis will certainly find the pilot.. in the end he goes and gets the pint. Stella, pure selfishness and Nazism all on the same side, at last. I mean WTF!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 18:53 (twenty years ago)

Tracer in all your time in London have you NEVER SEEN ALLO ALLO?!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)

that advert's great, the look on the pilot's face as the Nazis drag him out!

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 19:05 (twenty years ago)

also a nice bit of brief tense sexual subplot between the barman's daughter and the English pilot, nudge nudge wink wink say no more etc.

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

many-xpost

I like lychees, and I don't like Stella. I do actually like the new Heineken, although I think I maybe the only one.

― Judy, Tuesday, 11 January 2005 19:36 (twenty years ago)

How come nobody has yet to point out that they serve this stuff in a fucking CHALICE? C'mon dudes... you're slipping.

― major jingleberries (jingleberries), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)

How long has the "Wife-beater" tag been around for it? To my mind I think it's about 6 months or so

I've heard it used for at least a couple of years.

― The Horse of Babylon (the pirate king), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 22:18 (twenty years ago)

Sidenote - anyone tried any of those new-ish lagers they serve in "Bars" (you know the ones) that are very non-fizzy and loaded with msg so they make you more thirsty?

Name some.

― DJ Mencap0))), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 22:24 (twenty years ago)

How come nobody has yet to point out that they serve this stuff in a fucking CHALICE? C'mon dudes... you're slipping.

Haha, I think if any one thing has become apparent from this thread its that Stella is completely different depending on which country you're in. Still, a chalice? Way cool.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 22:25 (twenty years ago)

unless it's poisoned. that reminds me, is the devil's cup technically also a poisone chalice?

― Stevem On X (blueski), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 22:43 (twenty years ago)

Stella blows. It's skunky to the extreme, and people just go on and on about what a wonderful beer it is. Fucking irritating.

― Ian John50n (orion), Tuesday, 11 January 2005 23:29 (twenty years ago)

Stella's alright. It's average to the extreme, and gets one drunk, and people just go on and on about how awful it is. irritating.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 00:23 (twenty years ago)

My dad to waitress at all u can eat chinese buffet, "Beer? Tre Stelle?"

― Kim (Kim), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 04:04 (twenty years ago)

has there been some big marketing campaign for it? because it seems like everyone started drinking it in the last 2-3 years.

i know it's easier to say simply "Stella," but I always wonder whether some people can pronounce it

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 04:15 (twenty years ago)

It's ok, but there are a million better Belgian beers out there.

― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 04:16 (twenty years ago)

Enormous plate of poutine + several Stellas in Quebec = DUD

― I Am Curious (George) (Rock Hardy), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 04:31 (twenty years ago)

stella is gross. not as bad as becks or heineken though. or kronenbourg, which i think is the worst.

i like corsendonk, red stripe, miller high life, bud ice

― phil-two (phil-two), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 04:35 (twenty years ago)

i dont know how they get away with charging 6 or 7 dollars for it at a bar

― phil-two (phil-two), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 04:39 (twenty years ago)

What I'd like to know is whatever happened to Stella Dry? It was served in green bottles and was much tastier than normal Stella. They may still sell it, I've been out of Europe for a while....too long actually.

― Paul Kelly (kelly), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 05:04 (twenty years ago)

I've known it as wife-beater for at least seven years, since I started working in a pub.

Becks is great because it's German and therefore has no additives - hence no hangover.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 09:27 (twenty years ago)

I don't think becks tastes nice.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 09:29 (twenty years ago)

w. Nick, 'wifebeater' around at least a half-decade. Stella omnipresent since the late '90s.

― Miles Finch, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 09:33 (twenty years ago)

I don't think becks tastes of anything at all. It's like drinking water.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 09:41 (twenty years ago)

... water which *gets you drunk*

― Miles Finch, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 09:43 (twenty years ago)

I don't believe this 'Becks doesn't give you a hangover' thing. I may have to conduct a scientific experiment on this one.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 10:05 (twenty years ago)

It'll still give you a hangover if you get ratted on it Matt, as a hangover is laregly due to the diuretic affects of booze dehydrating you're body. BUT a large part of the serious hangovers people get off stuff like Stella is down to the fact that it's FULL OF EVIL CHEMICALS.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 10:23 (twenty years ago)

i don't know how people tell the difference between all these beers anyway

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 10:29 (twenty years ago)

labels

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 10:32 (twenty years ago)

They taste different, Stevem.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 10:35 (twenty years ago)

i don't really notice the difference. the labels idea is...interesting...

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 10:51 (twenty years ago)

I don't understand the appeal of Stella at all, but then again, I don't really understand the appeal of lager, fullstop. Unless I'm drunk enough not to notice, and the only option is lager, I'd even rather have cider (Jacob's Ladder to mentalism and hangover) but preferably spirits.

― Masonic Boom-Boom (kate), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 10:56 (twenty years ago)

Spirits are evil. I never touch them.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:16 (twenty years ago)

Spirits are not all evil. Some of them are wonderful and good and even if they lead us into temptation, they never lead us astray.

― Masonic Boom-Boom (kate), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:17 (twenty years ago)

the advert features a biplane and therefore presumably does not feature nazis, rather WW1-era germans. however it's still sort of annoying and stupid.

stella is an OK drink but does wreak a terrible vengeance the next morning

― debden, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:19 (twenty years ago)

I do not believe you. I only like beer and wine.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:20 (twenty years ago)

Beer and wine lead me astray far more frequently than vodiker ever has. Wait, that's probably not true. In point of fact, it probably doesn't make a difference. I just get less of a hangover from vodiker.

― Masonic Boom-Boom (kate), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:21 (twenty years ago)

good call debden, i don't see what's particularly annoying/stupid tho. perhaps the one with the prisoner on the boat is better.

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:22 (twenty years ago)

They are annoying because they sell such a hackneyed 'Frenchness', surely?

― Miles Finch, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:24 (twenty years ago)

i think it's annyoing cos it seems to cast the french as greedy and venal buffoons (no, no stay with me here) but then turns around and says, but when it comes to stella, who wouldn't be? i don't know it's just sort've irritating, there seem to be post-bush currents of thought going on. or maybe i'm just reading too much into a silly allo allo style advert.

― debden, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:35 (twenty years ago)

i don't see it as 'the French', i just see them as people

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:36 (twenty years ago)

Well, it's playing on the 'surrender monkey' image. And the whole thing is Frenchy Frenchness, down to the grain of the images. It's clear as day I'd have thunk.

― Miles Finch, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:38 (twenty years ago)

i.e. the idea being that Stella is so great that SOME people's (their nationality not being particularly relevant except that this is where the beer originates - authenticity deemed such a crucial factor in marketing) willpower and better judgement cannot contend with it. lots of adverts play on the same idea, why wouldn't they?

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:38 (twenty years ago)

also when the pilot crash lands, the ww1 era germans behave like nazis in a war of annihilation, i.e. they immediately try to murder him rather than let him surrender, contra the geneva convention (the post-bush plot thickens). what is being sketched here but some kind of clumsy militaristic ur-german behaviour?

it's the insinuating smugness of the ad that irritates, i guess. ps i like allo allo.

― debden, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:41 (twenty years ago)

Who couldn't give a XXXX? ect ect

(x)

― Madchen (Madchen), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:43 (twenty years ago)

Allo Allo being far kinder to national stereotypes of course...

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:46 (twenty years ago)

Allo Allo is more 'equal opportunities I guess. Also it is a comedy, not an advert.

― Miles Finch, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:50 (twenty years ago)

adverts are comedic a great deal of the time. I think a Stella Artois ad and an episode of Allo Allo would extract about the same amount of laughter from me now.

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:54 (twenty years ago)

good moaning.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:55 (twenty years ago)

you stupid woman.

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:57 (twenty years ago)

really? there's no complexity in a stella ad. allo allo subverts the idea of the stiff-upper-lipped englishman, the ruthless and terrifying nazi, the brave resistance fighter (this is more of a french stereotype). with an infinitely bigger budget and ultra-flash photography stella ads follow the common idea of france as a pretty place filled with selfish collaborators (it isn't too clear which war they are set in either).

― Miles Finch, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 11:58 (twenty years ago)

I think it's supposed to be WW3.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 12:00 (twenty years ago)

if only Stella Artois adverts could be 30 minutes long and shown every week at a regular time slot...

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 12:00 (twenty years ago)

if we ignore history, we are doomed to repeat it.

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 12:06 (twenty years ago)

stella is okay. i mean, it's not bad, but it's considered a *table beer* around here (belgium). i prefer jupiler over stella actually.

― stevie nixed (stevie nixed), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 12:06 (twenty years ago)

woah-hoah, what is a table beer? from the emphasis i infer that it's inferior to, say, kitchen worksurface beer -- certainly to the preferred bookshelf beer.

― Miles Finch, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 12:08 (twenty years ago)

if only Stella Artois adverts could be 30 minutes long and shown every week at a regular time slot

Because then we'd know when to avoid them.

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 12:50 (twenty years ago)

Stella in the UK is crap because like most draught lagers over here, it is a piss-poor lower-quality version brewed under license in one of those identikit mega-breweries. It is a slightly better beer in the continent I will agree - but when you are over there, much better lagers are on offer.

Straropramen is another example, excellent in the Czech Republic but nastier-than-nasty in its UK-brewed bastard child incarnation.

However, it's all about the cask ale for me anyway - why would you bother with one of these awful chemical lagers when we have a local product that is superior AND much cheaper??? Although in Brighton, Dark Star - my favorite micro-brewery - makes an absoloutely incredible continental-style lager which is so much tastier and CHEAPER than Stella and their ilk.

Grolsh in it's large-bottle form is tasty though.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 12:52 (twenty years ago)

*its*

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 12:53 (twenty years ago)

the point was comparing the intentions behind an advert and a sitcom is a little bit silly.

xpost x 2

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 12:53 (twenty years ago)

Well, yes, proper, well-kept English/Scottish/Welsh real ale is obv >> Stella and its chums. Problem is that a lot of establishments have a great deal of difficulty with with the 'well-kept' and 'real' parts of that statement, if they even sell bitter at all.

― RickyT (RickyT), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 13:04 (twenty years ago)

i really want to taste these crazy amazing continental stella now.. who's coming to belgium with me? we can get drunk on stella and have belgian roffles afterwards.

― ken c (ken c), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 13:11 (twenty years ago)

i think if pub beers all tasted really good i would spend three quarters of my life drunk and shouting. here's a vote for sam smiths organic lager, though.

i don't see what's silly about comparing the stella advert to its antecedent and clear inspiration, the ever-popular 'allo 'allo

the penal boat ad, though... harder to place. looks almost 19th century, the inhumane conditions support this (isolation cell, sadistic withholding of food) is it some french hulk on its way to a pacific penal colony?

― debden, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 13:14 (twenty years ago)

or indeed a belgian prison boat bound for the congo?

― debden, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 13:15 (twenty years ago)

I assumed that ad was meant to be some sort of Papillon homage; but I've not seen the film, only read the book.

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 13:20 (twenty years ago)

i don't see what's silly about comparing the stella advert to its antecedent and clear inspiration, the ever-popular 'allo 'allo

i don't think it's been inspired by Allo Allo more than anything else, the two are completely different things with different intentions. artistic merit of advert also bears no relation to actual product in reality most of the time, which means i can appreciate the artistic merit and concept of said Stella advert on it's own terms and not think 'oh this is offensive to the French' just because it's a French brand marketed by English to English (although if Stella is advertised in France or other parts of Europe, which may not be the case, what are the ads like? do they mention the war etc.).

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 13:23 (twenty years ago)

i don't personally care about whether it's offensive to the french/belgians, they can look after themselves; i just find it a little bit patronising to its (english) audience, but not even really bothered by that.

i find it interesting that the ad is positing some sort of continuum of national sterotypes that stretched right back to the start of the 20th century that we supposedly can all identify with merrily... why do i find this annoying when i find allo allo occasionally funny? you know when you start wondering why ads don't work on you. sorry, probably labouring the point here.

― debden, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 13:45 (twenty years ago)

i'm just wilfully naive. it didn't even occur to me that the pilot was English for months after first seeing the advert, not that I thought about it much beyond 'mmm, quite good'. thing is i find beer (and most other booze) ads set in modern day Britain with British people far more annoying - specifically Tetley ("hear love, hold my pint which I am drinking at this wedding so that you are unable to catch the bouquet because even though you were Lauren in Neighbours i am a man and thus have no interest in getting married until i can no longer bathe myself"), with the exception of John Smiths. compared to those the Stella ads are beacons of wry wit and gleaming craft.

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 13:54 (twenty years ago)

yeah, now you mention it all beer ads are annoying rubbish. i used to like those boddingtons ones set in venice though.

― debden, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

even more annoying were those 1980s ones where the little guy threw his hat over the enormous thronging queue and onto the bar with a note saying 'the usual, sandra' then started dancing and everyone followed him around. what was it, follow the bear?

and the holsten pils ones based on the guns of navarone with griff rhys jones and old bits of doctored film.

― debden, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 13:59 (twenty years ago)

tho the John Smiths Peter Kay ads are very funny, could they not also be accused of patronising us (or specifically those up North) or pandering to stereotype - in valuing mediocre bitter and their own interests over the welfare of their relatives or what have you? i do like them though (unlike John Smiths itself).

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

don't be dissing the 'Follow The Bear' campaign now...

more 80s beer ads greatness: the Carling ad that just refused to end

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 14:01 (twenty years ago)

hofmeister

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 14:02 (twenty years ago)

Hawk: stay witty and sexist to the bottom of the glass

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 14:14 (twenty years ago)

yep, the peter kay ones were funny

jack dee as a computer animated penguin: dud
the one where a young white jazz saxophonist is encouraged by a father figure black guy and they share a beer at the end of his sucessful fist-pumping concert: dud

― debden, Wednesday, 12 January 2005 14:19 (twenty years ago)

you know, it was only 4 years ago but 'wazzzup' feels like a whole different era (i call it the preilxian age)

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 14:54 (twenty years ago)

Becks a great beer for when it's not quite hot enough for Corona.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 15:05 (twenty years ago)

True.

― Stevem On X (blueski), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 15:06 (twenty years ago)

Hm, Stella in Canada tastes pretty good, whether in draft or in bottles (which are green - maybe it's stella dry? xpost). A nice summer beer. But I have to agree, the UK Stella tastes different (not as good, but drinkable - I didn't know it was more alcholic. This must be how reputations start, unbeknownst-wise.) I was just on the west coast and had some blackberry beer. I felt like a girly hippy. Which maybe I am, in some ways.

― rrrobyn (rrrobyn), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 16:41 (twenty years ago)

Time for a sharp exit

― Matt (Matt), Wednesday, 12 January 2005 17:05 (twenty years ago)

I loves me some Stella.

I hadn't heard of it until I got to Chicago. I love it, but maybe just maybe the American version is better somehow?

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Monday, 17 January 2005 22:52 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

interesting news

Young's ditching Stella (yay) because they're "premiumising" their whole range (boo?), possibly reflecting an apparent upsurge in ale over lager's decline (eeh)

― blueski, Sunday, 27 January 2008 14:52 (seventeen years ago)

heineken? fuck that shit!

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Sunday, 27 January 2008 14:53 (seventeen years ago)

Nothing like a nice frosty pint of the ol' wifebeater.

― Bodrick III, Sunday, 27 January 2008 14:56 (seventeen years ago)

Vile stuff. And I'm not a beer snob or anything, I like quite a few other mass produced premium lagers.

― chap, Sunday, 27 January 2008 17:20 (seventeen years ago)

urban legend: here they claim stella gives you mad headachey hangovers. roffle

― stevienixed, Sunday, 27 January 2008 18:36 (seventeen years ago)

Dud for its commercials before every movie I've ever seen at a Landmark Theater.

― Eric H., Sunday, 27 January 2008 18:38 (seventeen years ago)

Never gave me an unusually bad hangover.

Drank four pints of Coors because it was on offer at Spoonies, gave me terrible headaches the next day.

― Bodrick III, Sunday, 27 January 2008 18:40 (seventeen years ago)

an apparent upsurge in ale over lager's decline

I don't think this has actually happened.

― Matt DC, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:21 (seventeen years ago)

i thought stella *was* "premium" tbh. it's more expensive than mooted replacements heineken and (?) amstel (which is equally vile).

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:21 (seventeen years ago)

Good if served in the proper Stella glass. OK in a pint glass. Usually drink because it's the least-worst choice on tap.

― King Boy Pato, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:25 (seventeen years ago)

Stella is 'premium' lager really but that premium status has been eroded by the 'wife beater' tag and the fact that it's essentially loopy juice. So the company that brews Stella (Anheuser-Busch, right?) responded by launching all these Artois brand extensions like Peeterman the the other one I can't remember.

What's probably been going on is Anheuser have been leaning on Youngs and threatening to withdraw Stella unless it stocks the other (less profitable) beers in the range, and Youngs have gone 'fuck that for a laugh'.

― Matt DC, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:34 (seventeen years ago)

Inbev likes to portray Stella as the ultimate premium lager (is that bordering on tautology?) referring to it as, "reassuringly expensive."

Is this still the slogan? I think of it as like an early 90s thing

― DJ Mencap, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:36 (seventeen years ago)

The Artois Bock, the dead strong one, is quite nice IMO

― DJ Mencap, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:36 (seventeen years ago)

peetermans is rats piss. but i'm not a big lager guy.

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:38 (seventeen years ago)

Ah right its InBev not Anheuser, my mistake.

― Matt DC, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:44 (seventeen years ago)

i just don't buy the idea that stella makes people any more aggressive or gives people any worse hangovers than any other lager. show me some science!

― Upt0eleven, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:45 (seventeen years ago)

it's just something people experience/observe about it.

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:49 (seventeen years ago)

It has more alcohol in it than most other lager!

― Matt DC, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:53 (seventeen years ago)

Also the alcohol content of lager has been creeping up in general over the last few years as other beer brands try to compete with Stella and maybe Young's has decided it isn't doing their brand much good to have their pubs full of people drinking 5%+ lager.

― Matt DC, Monday, 28 January 2008 10:55 (seventeen years ago)

but it's only 0.2% more than Kronenbourg, Grolsh etc! while, fair enough, that might account for people being marginally more drunk, the reputation seems to be related to some idea that stella has other chemicals in it that make people more prone to behaving like thugs. where's the evidence eh? i'm just saying i think it's an excuse based on its reputation.

― Upt0eleven, Monday, 28 January 2008 11:05 (seventeen years ago)

I'm not sure the science actually matters seeing as reputation is everything here.

― Matt DC, Monday, 28 January 2008 11:09 (seventeen years ago)

the reputation seems to be related to some idea that stella has other chemicals in it that make people more prone to behaving like thugs. where's the evidence eh?

people infer from the way people act on it, though agree that it's not that much worse than kronenberg.

― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Monday, 28 January 2008 11:12 (seventeen years ago)

twelve years pass...

the reputation seems to be related to some idea that stella has other chemicals in it that make people more prone to behaving like thugs.

has this been sorted?

― treeship., Tuesday, 14 April 2020 22:11 (five years ago)

it's classic by the way. a little more crisp than most mass-produced lagers.

― treeship., Tuesday, 14 April 2020 22:15 (five years ago)

at the time of this thread being active Stella was 5.2%, stronger than all the other top-selling lagers in the uk at that time. you would get more drunk off of it (a six pack of stella and a bottle of Bucky was a common evening tipple for me back in those days). 6 stella definitely packed more of a buck than other lagers, even though 0.2% on the face of it is not a big difference.

it's an absolutely disgusting beer and it's hilarious to me that it is expensive in North America, although that mimics the marketing of stella in the 90s in Britain - it was "reassuringly expensive" before pivoting to being relatively cheap

― COVID and the Gang (jim in vancouver), Tuesday, 14 April 2020 22:16 (five years ago)

it's not that expensive here. i have some because there was a promotion on drizly.

i like the green bottle.

― treeship., Tuesday, 14 April 2020 22:21 (five years ago)

well, I mean it's priced more expensively than domestic lager. Budweiser tastes like a refreshing fizzy water that some wheat came near, much more pleasant to me than the actively unpleasant stella taste

― COVID and the Gang (jim in vancouver), Tuesday, 14 April 2020 22:25 (five years ago)

idk I don’t like Budweiser it tastes weird and makes my stomach feel bad.

can’t recall what Stella tastes like

― brimstead, Wednesday, 15 April 2020 00:03 (five years ago)

it's like budweiser but seems more effervescent, less foamy. and there is a weird skunky, chemical taste to stella which isn't as bad as it sounds.

― treeship., Wednesday, 15 April 2020 00:35 (five years ago)

Peroni is a way better alternative to Stella

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 01:42 (five years ago)

birra moretti thanks

― ole uncle tiktok (darraghmac), Wednesday, 15 April 2020 01:46 (five years ago)

those are both beers I enjoy

― brimstead, Wednesday, 15 April 2020 02:03 (five years ago)

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