Stellllaaaaah!

Well, my perseverance has paid off. I have finally discovered a beer that is better abroad than at home. I've always liked Stella at home; it's quite nice, and it's become available almost everywhere lately. But, for me, it's always had a strange aftertaste that I shall attempt to describe now (bear with me): I spent a few summers in Virginia as a kid, and the sticky, humid summers brought out swarms of gnats. Occasionally, (inevitably) a gnat would deviate from the pack and find its way up your nose, and the taste you'd get at the back of your throat would be this chitinous/mucousy/bug-repellanty taste that is completely distinct. Well, I've always felt that the aftertase of Stella puts me right back there in Virginia circa 1979. The beer is good though, and I guess it always made the aftertaste worth it.

Stella is everywhere here. It's probably the most popular import, as it can be found on tap in practically every pub (taking up decent tap space where more British beers should be). Anyways, Stella tastes even better in Europe, and it had none of the gnatty aftertaste. It's dryer and less sweet than the one in the U.S. -- it has a very German taste, and it was very satisfying.

I had this one in a place called "the burger joint", which is set up like The Counter in West L.A., where you design your burger with a checklist-like order form, but it was only about half as good. It's hard to find a decent burger over here.