Stella Artois

Stella Artois may be a little too bitter for some people's tastes, but those are usually the people I find too bitter for my tastes. Stella is one of the few beers that actually feels sophisticated, from its clean paper cap right down to the last drop of its elegant, sweet goodness.

Although Stella is Belgium's most famous export (aside from its rich legacy of child pornography), it still has a surprising power to command intrigue and respect among my American friends when I order one. Those who know of it can not help but nod in agreement; those who don't can not help but ask for a taste.

Of course, that situation doesn't come around as frequently nowadays, as my beer drinking is increasingly confined to solitude, starting at 9am or earlier. But at least I still choose Stella, unlike my drunken dad, who resorted to Stroh's even before he lost all his money on the ponies.

Review by Taco Tostada