Five Tips to Turn Up the Party, We Learned from Stella Artois

Beer is the world’s most consumed alcohol beverage and the third most in-demand liquid after water and coffee. And Belgian lager beers such as Stella Artois are considered the champion of them all. Stella Artois’s heritage dates back to at least a few centuries of perfecting the intricacies of its traditional brewing process. This is the reason why beer-making is such a potent business all throughout Europe and there’s an estimated 700 beers to choose from, with the rarest and most precious given all the reverence of a fine wine.

In fact, Belgian lager beers are so famous that they are usually among the top keywords searched on Google when someone visits Europe for the first time ever. You can’t blame these tourists if they want to end the night with a fun experience that’s more than what they can handle in real life.

The same thing can be said about Manila, which is definitely a beer nation in every sense of the word. We can’t live without beer! It has democratized the true meaning of ‘having fun without losing it.” For most of us in the twenty-something age group, having a chill yet satisfying night has never been more fraught: not only do we have to make sure we don’t carb-load like it’s the end of the world, but everything has to somehow fit right into the scene, especially with our Instagram feed. Well, don’t fret, because Drink Manila has narrowed down five great ideas for your next Friday night:

1) Get real with yourself and don’t settle for just any beer.

At the end of the night, it boils down to one question: did you really have fun with your beer? Sure you did if you went for Stella Artois! From brewing to staging the perfect pour to hosting the perfect party, Stella Artois has a knack for curating the best beer experience. It’s true because this renowned Belgian beer brand annually holds the Draught Masters Championship to find the best beer slingers on the planet, and to make a point that it’s consistent when it comes to taste, quality, and presentation.

Speaking of presentation, did you know that Stella Artois has a nine-step pouring ritual? This age-old tradition has been preserved as a symbol of the beermaker’s continual commitment to produce only the highest beer taste—inspiring perfection.

2) If you’re going to stage an experience, do it in style.

Stella Artois is all about “the experience,” and it’s quite obvious every time this brand throws a party. Let’s examine the complexities of its nine-step pouring ritual:

1. The Purification – First, make sure you use a well-rinsed glass (or better yet Stella Artois’s very own Chalice with a golden tip). 
2. The Sacrifice– Open the tap and watch that fine liquid of lager flow. 
3. The Liquid Alchemy– Hold the Chalice just under the tap without touching it at a 45-degree angle.
4. The Head– With the best head, everyone’s happy, so allow a natural formation of the foam head.
5. The Removal– Calculate your movement by quickly removing the glass when it’s almost full to make sure all that happy liquid doesn’t go to waste.
6. The Beheading– If the head foam is overflowing, use a head cutter to gently take out the excess. And don’t get messy with this.
7. The Judgment– Two fingers! That’s pretty much the right amount of foam you need.
8. The Cleansing– Clean the bottom and the sides of the glass.
9. The Bestowal– Present the final product on a clean beer coaster; make sure you do it like a pro.

The whole thing might sound easy, but it’s not. So better hire a well-trained bartender if you really want to give your guests something to talk about.

3) Make sure your pairing selection is on point.

If you’re going to invite some friends over for booze, make sure the food goes well with your lager. Belgian lagers are normally easy on the palate so it will complement just about any meal with different flavor profiles.

Last September 26, Stella Artois threw an intimate party at Pablo Bistro at The Picasso Boutique Serviced Residences where guests were treated with carefully crafted bites. Everything from Pablo’s well-curated menu proved that Stella Artois not only inspires the perfect pour, it’s also the perfect companion for hosting the perfect get-together. Check out these photos to prove our point:

4) If you don’t have a live band, make sure your playlist is not boring.

There’s really no perfect formula for turning up the best party, but there are non-negotiable elements that need to be present such as booze and food. But one thing that many hosts seem to forget about is music.

No one stays at a party if the music is terrible. If you don’t have a DJ, at least get a hip band that can hold the crowd together. Okay, say you don’t have a DJ and you’re bad at mixing house music. How about the classics? Give your friends songs they are familiar with, so that even if they are bored to death, or finding an excuse to not listen to all the B.S. of the person next to them, they’ll definitely have a reason to stay throughout the night. And Spotify always gets the job done!

5) Try to stay sober.

Yes, even lagers can knock you out, so be careful with the amount of beer you pour into your glass. Being at a party and seeing your favorite people again after being away for a while can sometimes lead to things getting out of hand. The night can easily go haywire, so always keep your cool and drink like a royal.