It’s Friday evening, and you go to a bar to celebrate the weekend’s arrival. If you’re experimental like me, chances are, you’d want to explore your options! Beer is now a versatile, celebrated drink in recent decades. So, even if you aren’t experimental, it’s time to branch out and try beers for more than their brand.
So, if you’re too comfortable with Stella Artois and want to try along those lines, there are ten more beers to try. These include Heineken, Hofbrau, Brooklyn Lager, Polestar Pilsner, and many more. So, read on to know more about these beers and how they’re similar.
Also, make sure you drink wisely and safely!
What is Stella Artois?
Stella Artois is indeed an exquisite name with a pretty label and a neat glass. But, is the beer within just as pretty, exquisite, and neat?
In my opinion and the ratings as well, not as much. While it might be a great option to drink, it’s not the best, especially not as good as the other options!
It is popularly known as Budweiser with a facelift. Well, it is a type of beer with a nice body, but not much personality. In its original form, the beer is 5.2% alcohol by volume.
It abides by Belgium’s (its country of origin) alcohol standard for its kind. The beer is of a golden color and boasts hop bitterness which also makes it a dry finish.
According to the manufacturers, it contains only four ingredients including hops, malted barley, maize, and water. Moreover, they also use yeast for fermentation but almost all of it is removed before packaging.
Also, ever since 2009, it has been made suitable for vegans, as the fish bladder is used no more to remove the yeast!
What Beer Does Stella Artois Taste Like?
A lot of European lagers have a taste quite like that of Stella Artois. Personally, I’d recommend the authentic Czech pilsner – Pilsner Urquell.
You could also try your local craft brewery. If they don’t have a Pilsner or a Helles,
they’d certainly have some ale along the similar lines – a Kolsch or a Blonde. Or maybe even a Cream Ale, a Vienna Lager, a Euro Lager, and a Hefeweizen come really close to the well-crafted beer.
What Beer Is the Same as Stella?
There’s not one beer that tastes exactly the same, which gives Stella its uniqueness and exquisiteness. However, Jupiler comes closest.
Also, Baltika Lager 7 is very much like Stella Artois. It is a Russian brew and it is 5.5% alcohol by volume, much like that of Stella.
What Beers Are Similar to Stella Artois?
Now, let’s take a look at some of the beers that are similar to Stella Artois:
- Pilsner Urquell
There are plenty of beers as good or better than Stella Artois, and the Pilsner Urquell is one among them. The two share their origins – both are lagers from a large brewer that is distributed pretty widely.
- Heineken
If European lagers are your thing, you’ll find Heineken at every bar, just as much as you would Stella Artois. It is marketed as a thinking man’s beer and an upgrade to Budweiser. The unique taste of the lager satisfies its customers and adds to their loyalty.
However, the opinions remain very subjective. For instance, in Amsterdam, locals choose Budweiser over Heineken. In contrast, in the US, people prefer Heineken to Bud.
- Hofbrau
Like Stella, Hofbrau is a classic European lager produced in Munich. The brand is known to produce the lager in a way that is worth its weight in gold! With similar alcohol by volume value and a similar brewing style, this is a good option if you’d like to experiment.
Keep in mind that most opinions are in the two extremes – either you’d straight-up love it, or hate it completely. Anyway, it’s worth a try.
- Brooklyn Lager
Brooklyn Lager is indeed one of the flagships in the era of modern craft brew. It has gained popularity nationwide with its take on the Vienna lager.
Though lighter in color, it still has the same smooth maltiness that defines the style. The taste, too, is the same up to quite an extent.
- Polestar Pilsner
It is zesty pilsner of German origin, with quite a taste like Stella. It has a biscuit-like malt flavor and a dry, crisp finish.
Trust me, this would completely change your beer game! It’s often said that once you’ve tasted the Polestar, you can never go back to trying some other beer!
Light, crisp, and true to its name, Polestar is undoubtedly the true test of brewing prowess. Many people also say that in this beer’s case, less is more.
- Longboard Island Lager
Longboard Island Lager is smooth and refreshing, exactly the kind you’d crave after a long day! Its month-long fermentation at cold temperatures gives it a smooth flavor. It is delicate and has a slightly spicy hop aroma. Additionally, the bottle and the artwork are what attract its customers.
- Firebrick
Schell’s Firebrick is a refreshing Vienna-style amber-colored lager. It is named after the bricks that line its old boilers.
It has a dash of bitter hops with some maltiness. This creates a pleasantly smooth drinkable beer, much like Stella. Its brewing style is also quite similar, explaining the maltiness in its flavor.
- Samuel Adams’ Boston Lager
Samuel Adams’ Boston Lager led the American craft beer revolution. It revived a passion for full-bodied brews robust and rich in character. The perfectly balanced and complex lager is made only with the finest of hand-selected ingredients.
It has a rich and toasty malt aroma with a hint of caramel and subtle floral hops. However, the sharp hop bitterness overlays the sweet, toasted malt with cracker notes. It too, like Stella, finishes dry and slightly bitter.
- California Kolsch
This is one of those Pale Ales that comes very close to a pilsner. It is smartly crafted in the Kolsch beer style. It has the aroma of German hops and the maltiness of American beers.
What’s unique is that it is fermented at ale temperatures, but still tastes and smells like a pilsner. Its mellowed fruitiness complements the crispiness of the malt perfectly well.
- Cali’ Creamin
The vanilla cream ale has an extremely malty base. The base consists of honey malt and flaked corn.
Moreover, a dash of vanilla adds to the flavor and makes it one of the favorite beers for various people. But mostly, The maltiness is what reminds me of Stella when I drink it.
Related Questions:
1. Why is Stella Artois Called Wife Beater?
This is a historical pseudonym for the beer and could have a lot of reasons. But, the most likely one is that Stella has always been cheap. Resultantly, it has been the go-to beer that the stereotypical alcoholic husband would buy. He’d buy and drink lots of it. When the high alcohol content would kick in, he’d abuse and beat his wife.
Thus, it is essentially the high alcohol content of the beer that gave Stella Artois its other name.
2. Is Stella Artois a Classy Beer?
The answer to this is very subjective. Depending on whom you ask, Stella could either be classy or downright average. The Americans consider Stella Artois an elegant and exquisite import. In the European countries, however, it is considered a very ordinary beer at best.
But again, this could be because Belgium is the country of origin of the beer. More often than not, imported items are considered more exquisite. Resultantly, in the USA, Stella Artois is hyped much more than required.
3. Why is Stella Artois so Expensive?
Stella Artois has been associated with some interesting advertisements for the longest time. The most distinctive was its “reassuringly expensive” campaign that ran from 1982 to 2007.
Stella was more expensive than its counterparts owing to the higher duty tax on high-alcohol content beverages. This campaign aimed at turning that negative into a positive. It convinced people that their premium lager was better than the cheaper brands!
This was then followed by a series of award-winning adverts that showed the beer in a sophisticated light. Hence, the price of the beer soared and has been so ever since.
4. Why Do Stella Glasses Have a Gold Rim?
Belgian breweries usually create glasses unique to their beers. This gives their beers an opportunity to stand out.
The Stella Artois chalice has a round shape that maintains consistent carbonation and a foamy head. The stem of the chalice has a groove for your fingers. This helps you hold it without transferring the heat from your hand to the beer.
The gold rim at the top adds to its signature look and exquisiteness. But that’s not all – it is also added to increase impact resistance and the retention of the foam head.
Final Thoughts
There are various alternatives like discussed above to choose from. This list isn’t exhaustive, though. I’ve tried to stick to easily accessible beers and have given you the best suggestions possible, from my experience.
So, suit yourself and choose according to your preference, local availability, and of course, the cost!