Stella Artois
Leuven, Belgium
Belgian-style pale lager at 5.0% ABV in the US. Retail labels list 150 calories, 12g of carbohydrate and 1.8g of protein per 12oz.
- Ingredients / botanicals
- water, malted barley, maize, Saaz hops, lager yeast
In its favor
- ✓Cold lager fermentation keeps biogenic amines low
- ✓Short ingredient list with Saaz hops
What to watch
- !Contains gluten from barley malt
- !150 calories is on the heavy side for a lager
- !5.0% ABV is higher than the light lagers
Factor by factor
Congeners Low ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Moderate ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Low ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Low ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Low ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Stella Artois is brewed from malted barley, maize, Saaz hops and water. US retail labels list 150 calories and 12g of carbohydrate per 12oz at 5.0% alcohol, and the site’s formula (ethanol plus 12g) comes to about 148.
The maize adjunct is a minor part of the grist, so it behaves chemically like Heineken and the pilsner style rather than the light lagers. Sugar is not listed on the label, so the nutrition table is omitted.
Stella Artois questions
How many calories are in a bottle of Stella Artois? ▾
About 146 calories in a 12oz bottle at 5% ABV. 98 come from the alcohol and 48 from carbohydrate.
How many carbs are in Stella Artois? ▾
12g of carbohydrate per 12oz bottle. The producer does not publish a sugar figure, and in beer most of that carbohydrate is unfermented starch and dextrins rather than sugar.
Is Stella Artois gluten-free? ▾
No. Stella Artois is brewed from barley and never distilled, so the gluten stays in the glass. It is not safe for coeliacs; look for a beer brewed from sorghum, rice or millet instead.
Does Stella Artois give you a bad hangover? ▾
Stella Artois scores 5/10 on the SpiritFacts Hangover Index, against 6/10 for beer overall. It is low on every hangover factor we track, so most of the morning after comes down to how much ethanol you drink.