How old is the stella artois brewery

Here are 11 facts you should know about Stella Artois. Stella Artois is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the same Belgian-Brazilian conglomerate that produces Budweiser, Becks, Busch, and dozens of other domestic, craft, and imported beer brands. Stella Artois was originally brewed in Leuven, Belgium, a small city east of Brussels.

The Stella Artois brand debuted more than years later, in The Stella Artois brand was originally released as a special holiday beer for Leuven locals. It caught on, and became available year-round. In addition to its eponymous beer, the Stella Artois brand portfolio includes Cidre , a sparkling hard cider made with three apple varieties; and Spritzer , a sparkling beverage made with apples and hibiscus flavors.

By , Stella Artois was already making its early forays into the international markets, first in Europe and then in North America, and Australia and then into the rest of the world. During this period, Stella Artois had become a household beer in Belgium but internationally, it was marketed as premium booze, fetching much higher prices than your regular beer.

Today, more than 90 years since the first bottles of Stella Artois were sent out from the plant at Leuven to the surrounding communities, several breweries have cropped up all over the world dedicated to producing this popular pilsner. The plants in Jupille and Leuven are still in existence and they continue to produce Stella beers. The plants in Leuven and Jupille produce much of the beer exported for the European market. In the international markets, Stella Artois is somewhat of a status symbol.

Its price is a few points higher than other equally good pilsners and its manufacturers have not hesitated to market it as a reassuringly expensive beer. There has been a significant gradual reduction of the alcohol content and bitterness level in the Stella Artois beers. In its early days, this pilsner-style beer was identified as a strong lager. It is this watering down of the beer that continues to cause such a chasm between those who absolutely love Stella Artois and those who absolutely dislike the beer.

Over the years, the manufacture of Stella has introduced other beer varieties including a cider, a summer lager solstice lager , and a smaller 7oz classic Stella Artois. The beer continues to be quite popular among millennials who are keen on enjoying an easy drinker that is seen as sophisticated and out of the reach of the ordinary beerhead. Despite its global allure, Stella is an extremely ordinary beer in Belgium and its sales there seem to be sliding year after year.

To be sure, it is the number three best-selling beer in Belgium but its market share is just 6. That is a huge difference in market share and poignantly captures the modern story of what was once a star beer in a country that is known for its quality boozes. Stella Artois has successfully positioned itself as a classy premium beer.

View full size photo. The origins of the Stella Artois brewing company can be found to dated tax papers from , and began in the town of Louvain Leuven , Belgium. In , Sebastien Artois won the coveted title of Master Brewer of Den Hoorn, and the name Artois was forever associated with the town of Louvain and the brewery.

After producing a exceptionally clear beer during a traditional annual Christmas brew in , the batch was named "Stellafrom," Latin for "star," and was so popular that it was produced year-round.

Thus the full name Stella Artois was born and first brewed here.