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===United Kingdom===
===United Kingdom===
For some time, Stella Artois' advertising slogan in the United Kingdom was "[[Reassuringly Expensive]]". The UK television advertising campaigns became known for their distinctive style of imitating European cinema and their [[leitmotiv]] inspired by [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s ''[[La forza del destino]]''. The campaigns began with a series of adverts based on the 1986 French film ''[[Jean de Florette]]'', directed by the British duo [[Anthea Benton]] and Vaughan Arnell, moving on to other genres including [[war movies]], silent [[comedy]] and even [[surrealism]]. They have used notable movie directors such as [[Jonathan Glazer]], and their aim was to portray the drink in a context of clever words in the [[European culture]].
For some time, Stella Artois' advertising slogan in the United Kingdom was "[[Reassuringly Expensive]]". The UK television advertising campaigns became known for their distinctive style of imitating European cinema and their [[leitmotiv]] inspired by [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s ''[[La forza del destino]]''. The campaigns began with a series of adverts based on the 1986 French film ''[[Jean de Florette]]'', directed by the British duo [[Anthea Benton]] and Vaughan Arnell, moving on to other genres including [[war movies]], silent [[comedy]] and even [[surrealism]]. They have used notable movie directors such as [[Jonathan Glazer]], and their aim was to portray the drink in a context of clever words in the [[European culture]].

During 2007, the "reassuringly expensive" slogan was dropped, and the word "Stella" was avoided in the advertisements. This has been seen as a reaction to the lager's perceived connection with aggression and binge-drinking in the United Kingdom, where it is nicknamed "[[domestic violence|wife beater]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-494149/Where-did-wrong-beer-wife-beater.html |title=Where did it all go wrong for the beer they call 'wife beater'? |publisher=Dailymail.co.uk |date=2007-11-15 |accessdate=2009-06-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/1841603.Pubs_ban_Stella_Artois/|title=The Argus - Pubs ban Stella Artois |publisher=Archive.theargus.co.uk |date=2007-11-18 |accessdate=2012-01-04}}</ref> The [[Stella Artois Championships]], the ATP tournament of Queens's Club, was renamed in 2007 as the Artois Championships, to promote other Artois brands.<ref>[http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/637060/InBev-renames-Stella-Artois-Tennis-Championships/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH Marketingmagazine.co.uk: InBev renames Stella Artois Tennis Championships]</ref>


In May 2008, an advertising campaign ran in the United Kingdom reporting that Stella Artois is made from only four ingredients: hops, malted barley, maize and water. Technically, the process also uses agents such as yeast for [[fermentation (beer)|fermentation]]. Since 2009, Stella Artois has been brewed to be suitable for vegetarians after over 200 years of treating with [[isinglass]] (fish bladder) to clear the yeast from the brewed beer.
In May 2008, an advertising campaign ran in the United Kingdom reporting that Stella Artois is made from only four ingredients: hops, malted barley, maize and water. Technically, the process also uses agents such as yeast for [[fermentation (beer)|fermentation]]. Since 2009, Stella Artois has been brewed to be suitable for vegetarians after over 200 years of treating with [[isinglass]] (fish bladder) to clear the yeast from the brewed beer.

Revision as of 18:18, 14 March 2012

Stella Artois
Logo
File:Stella Artois can and bottle.png
TypeLager
ManufacturerAnheuser–Busch InBev
Country of origin Leuven, Belgium
Introduced1926
Alcohol by volume 5.2% (4.8% in the UK)
Websitehttp://stellaartois.com

Stella Artois (/[invalid input: 'icon']ˈstɛlə ɑːrˈtwɑː/) is a 5% ABV lager brewed in Leuven, Belgium since 1926. In the UK, Canada, and New Zealand a 4% ABV version is also available.[1]

Production

Stella Artois is brewed in Belgium (both in the plants of Leuven and Jupille) and the United Kingdom, as well as other countries, including Australia, Brazil and Ukraine.[2] Much of the brew exported from Europe is currently produced at InBev's brewery in Belgium, and packaged in the Beck's Brewery in Bremen, Germany. Stella Artois is also brewed in Abbotsford, Victoria by Foster's Group for the Australian market under license from InBev.[3] As of 1 April 2012, Australian production will be moving to Lion.[4] In the United States, Stella Artois is imported and distributed by Anheuser-Busch.[5] For the Hungarian market, Stella Artois is also brewed in Bőcs, Hungary, by Borsod Brewery under license from InBev.

Stella Artois brewery in Leuven

The Anno 1366 on the Stella Artois logo refers to the origin of brewing in the city of Leuven. The city's tax records dated 1366 mention the existence of a local brewpub called Den Hoorn, ('Hoorn' in Dutch meaning 'Horn' in English, as is represented in the logo on the beer label). The name Artois was coupled to the brewery in 1708, when new owner Sebastian Artois achieved the title of master brewer. The frame that surrounds the name Stella Artois on the label refers to the traditional style of window frame found in Flemish architecture.

Stella Artois is available on draught and in several packaged sizes, including a 250-ml bottle, 275-ml bottle, 284-ml bottle, 330-ml bottle, 330-ml can, 440-ml can, 500-ml can, pint-size can known as "La Grande Bière" (568 ml), 660-ml bottle, 700-ml bottle, 985-ml bottle, and a 1-litre bottle.

History

File:Stella Artois Pro.jpg
An imported Stella Artois bottle with signature logo

Tax records exist from 1366 for Leuven's Den Horen Brewery. In 1708, Sebastianus Artois became the master brewer at Den Horen, and gave his name to the brewery in 1717.

In 1926, Stella Artois was launched initially as a seasonal beer especially for the Christmas holiday market. It was first sold in Canada and it was such a commercial success that the brand became available year round and, apart from the duration of the Second World War, has been produced ever since. The first Stella Artois beer was exported to the European market in 1930. By 1960, 100 million litres of Stella Artois was being produced annually. InBev opened a new fully automated brewery in Leuven in 1993, and by 2006, total production volume was over a billion litres annually.

The current package design and bottle design and shape was created in 1988 by David Taylor, founder of Taylorbrands. The design replaced a 1960s design and is inspired by the original 1926 bottle label. The design incorporates the horn symbol of the Den Hoorn brewery and the date 1366 which is the date of the earliest recorded brewing in Leuven. The label also shows medals for excellence awarded to the brewery at a number of trade exhibitions in Belgium in the 19th and 20th century. The name Stella Artois is held within a "cartouche" which was influenced by the style of Belgian architecture of Leuvenes.

In 2008 a lower alcohol version named Stella Artois 4% was launched in the UK.[6][7] As of 2011, a new spin-off cider product has been produced, named "Stella Artois Cidre".

Advertising

File:Stella Artois sign.jpg
Typical Stella Artois Sign

United Kingdom

For some time, Stella Artois' advertising slogan in the United Kingdom was "Reassuringly Expensive". The UK television advertising campaigns became known for their distinctive style of imitating European cinema and their leitmotiv inspired by Giuseppe Verdi's La forza del destino. The campaigns began with a series of adverts based on the 1986 French film Jean de Florette, directed by the British duo Anthea Benton and Vaughan Arnell, moving on to other genres including war movies, silent comedy and even surrealism. They have used notable movie directors such as Jonathan Glazer, and their aim was to portray the drink in a context of clever words in the European culture.

During 2007, the "reassuringly expensive" slogan was dropped, and the word "Stella" was avoided in the advertisements. This has been seen as a reaction to the lager's perceived connection with aggression and binge-drinking in the United Kingdom, where it is nicknamed "wife beater".[8][9] The Stella Artois Championships, the ATP tournament of Queens's Club, was renamed in 2007 as the Artois Championships, to promote other Artois brands.[10]

In May 2008, an advertising campaign ran in the United Kingdom reporting that Stella Artois is made from only four ingredients: hops, malted barley, maize and water. Technically, the process also uses agents such as yeast for fermentation. Since 2009, Stella Artois has been brewed to be suitable for vegetarians after over 200 years of treating with isinglass (fish bladder) to clear the yeast from the brewed beer.

In January 2012, Labour MP Tom Watson claimed that Stella Artois attempted to downplay the "wife beater" nickname by hiring a public relations agency to edit its Wikipedia entry. A user account apparently belonging to Portland Communications removed a reference to Stella Artois from the Wikipedia entry Wife-beater, and substituted it with a reference to beer or lager. The edits were subsequently reverted.[11]

United States

An advertisement for Stella Artois featuring actor Adrien Brody aired during Super Bowl XLV in February 2011. Though Anheuser-Busch InBev is a regular advertiser during the Super Bowl, this was the first time Stella Artois has been featured in a Super Bowl ad (Budweiser and Bud Light are the only Anheuser-Busch InBev brands that are normally featured in the company's Super Bowl commercials).[12] The commercial was heavily criticized in the Belgian media for giving the impression that the beer is French.[13][14]

Stella Artois has had a long association with film. Dating back to 1994 (in the UK), the beer has organised a range of events as well as TV sponsorship of Channel 4 films and a website. Most recently the beer brand has adopted the new identity "Studio Artois". Stella Artois has been or is a primary sponsor of the film festivals of Cannes, Melbourne, and Sundance.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Inbev expected to launch 4% Stella Artois - Brands News". Morning Advertiser. 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  2. ^ "Sun Inbev Ukraine Brands : Stella Artois". Retrieved 2008-10-05. [dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Foster's Group: Brand List". Retrieved 2010-10-01.
  4. ^ "Lion welcomes Stella Artois and Belgian specialty beers into its Australian portfolio". 2011-12-19. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
  5. ^ "Anheuser-Busch: Brand List". Retrieved 2009-06-11.
  6. ^ Marketingmagazine.co.uk
  7. ^ "No smooth outcome as Stella 4% sales fall". The Grocer. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  8. ^ "Where did it all go wrong for the beer they call 'wife beater'?". Dailymail.co.uk. 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2009-06-26.
  9. ^ "The Argus - Pubs ban Stella Artois". Archive.theargus.co.uk. 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  10. ^ Marketingmagazine.co.uk: InBev renames Stella Artois Tennis Championships
  11. ^ Seales, Rebecca (4 January 2012). "Lobby firm tries to get 'wife beater' nickname for Stella wiped off Wikipedia entry for beer". Daily Mail. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  12. ^ Anderson, Mae (2011-02-04). Super Bowl ad frenzy stretches far beyond the game and 10 Super Bowl commercials to watch. Associated Press. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  13. ^ http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/929/TV-Gids/article/detail/1219360/2011/02/08/Chique-Franse-Stella-spot-gaat-de-mist-in-op-Super-Bowl.dhtml
  14. ^ http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20110208_065
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