Is Peroni Or Stella Artois The Better Beer? (Ultimate Test)

Peroni and Stella Artois are fantastic beers that have bossed the beer-producing market for quite some time. However, which is better between these two beers? Here’s a short answer for that:

Peroni is an Italian lager with a crisp taste that leaves you feeling refreshed, whereas Stella Artois is a pilsner beer with a malty sweet flavor complemented with hoppy bitterness. Although Stella Artois has a high level of carbonation, Peroni remains one of the most carbonated beers in the world.

The rest of this article will help to explain several factors that highlight the difference between Peroni and Stella Artois. Some of these factors include flavor, mouthfeel, and appearance. We will also explain the origin of each beer style, and famous examples of each beer style.

Origin Of Each Beer Style

Peroni and Stella Artois are made by prestigious companies with lots of history. Although Peroni was initially created by SAB-InBev, which had been in existence by 1846, they were taken over by Asahi Breweries in 2016.

SAB-InBev was situated in Rome, Italy, where virtually all its beer products were made. It was so popular that it was the 13th best-selling beer in the U.K. However, since it was sold to Asahi breweries in 2016, it is now majorly produced in Japan.

That said, this beer was one of the first to enter Italy’s market and become a household name during its unification in 1871. Since 1846, this beer continued to reach foreign shores and became a favorite in over 70 countries, including the U.K.

On the other hand, Anheuser-Busch InBev owns Stella Artois and, thus, is responsible for its production. But although Anheuser-Busch now produces it, this beer was initially created by Den Hoorn Brewery. This brewery was a tavern known for producing exquisite beers, and Stella Artois was one of them.

Den Hoorn Brewery was established in 1366, but Stella Artois wasn’t created until the early 1700s—almost four hundred years later. Stella became the most sold beer, and Den Horn Brewery was purchased by its head brewer at the time, Sèbastian Artois.

Since then, Stella Artois has been produced by multiple beers, including Interbrew, InBev, and Anheuser-Busch InBev. Now, Stella Artois remains one of the most popular beer brands in the world. Also, it’s now an extremely strong import brand in the United States.

Flavor

Flavor is one of the most important criteria to consider when determining which beer is better. Peroni and Stella Artois are pilsner beers, which means that they have slightly similar tastes and textures.

Pilsner beers are primarily known to be straw-colored and possess a slight hint of hoppiness. Like many other beers, it’s best if you consume cold.

If you’re wanting to know more about why Stella Artois is classified as a Pilsner, here’s everything you need to know. You’ll find the same information for Peroni here.

Interestingly, pilsner beers don’t contain a lot of ingredients. Peroni beer (popularly called Nastro Azurro) consists of water, barley malt, Italian maize, and hops.

Of all these ingredients, the most important is the Nostrano dell’Isola maize, originally obtained from a small Bergamo town in the Northern zone of Italy. Saaz-Saaz and Hallertau Magnum are the hops this pilsner beer includes in its recipe.

On the other hand, Stella Artois consists of water, malted barley, maize, and Saaz hops. All these combine to give Stella Artois its taste.

Mouthfeel

This highly prestigious beer also has an IBU level of 20-24, depending on brewing conditions.

For those who don’t know, the IBU level is a metric used to measure the bitterness of alcoholic drinks. These IBU levels are typically between 5-100. Many beers have average International Bittering Units that range between 5-20.

Conversely, Peroni scores 24 on the IBU scale, which means it has similar bitterness qualities to Stella Artois. Not surprisingly, the high bitterness level of both beers greatly influences their characters.

Smell

The smell is another important criterion when determining which beer is better. On putting Peroni beer to your lips, you would be greeted with an aroma of grainy malts, grassy hops, and a hint of corn. On the other hand, Stella Artois beer has a citrus smell and a hint of malt.

Like other factors, picking based on smell is largely subjective. Some people would prefer the smell of grassy hops and corn, while others would prefer the malt smell Stella Artois offers.

Brewing Process and Ingredients

Pilsners are popularly brewed by using pilsner malt and lager yeast. Although this beer style is not as popular as other lager styles, pilsners remain one of the most sold worldwide.

Because Stella Artois and Peroni are pilsners, they undergo similar brewing processes. Interestingly, pilsners are a form of lager and, thus, use bottom-fermenting yeast at slightly higher temperatures than ales.

However, the ingredients used are what separate Stella Artois from Peroni. Some of these ingredients have trivial effects on the end-product, while others have massive ones.

Rather than following in the footsteps of other beer styles, pilsners prefer simplicity. Peroni’s ingredients include water, barley malt, Italian maze, and hops. On the other hand, Stella Artois consists of water, barley malt, maize, and Saaz hops. The head of each pilsner is straw-colored, which helps to explain the very-recognizable color of Stella Artois and Peroni.

But perhaps barley malt is one of the most influential ingredients in any beer mixture. Barley malt is known to significantly reduce the amount of sugar and fat during the brewing process. As you may expect, this unique benefit makes it the most sought-out ingredient among beer producers worldwide.

Alcohol Volume

ABV volumes, known as Alcohol By Volume, is a metric used to measure the amount of alcohol in any alcoholic beverage.

The average pilsner ABV percentage ranges from 4.5-5%. However, you may be shocked to realize that the ABV percentages of Stella Artois and Peroni far surpass this average.

Stella Artois has an ABV percentage of 5.2%, while Peroni has an ABV percentage of 5.1%. Consequently, these high percentages mean you will get drunk after 6-8 cans.

But even then, Stella Artois does this a little better than Peroni. So, if you want to get drunk a little faster, go for this. On the other hand, if you want to take your time while getting drunk, it’s best to go for Peroni.

Appearance

There are different types of beer in the world, but few are more recognizable than Pilsners. Many pilsners have the same color as straws, vastly different from many other beers that have the same color as nuts.

Let’s face it; marketing is a significant criterion people use to decide which beer they like better.

The frequent change in Stella Artois’ management and ownership has led to multiple changes in its appearance. Currently, Stella Artois comes with majorly white packaging with its beautiful-looking logo printed right on top. This extravagant packaging has endeared millions of beer enthusiasts to this particular beer.

On the other hand, Peroni comes in bottles similar to the traditional beer style, making it hard for this beer to stand out from the crowd. However, if you look past the outer packaging, you’d realize that these two beers look identical.

Stella Artois is heavily carbonated. This high level of carbonation creates a decent amount of bubbles and fizz on your tongue. Bubbles form one of the most aesthetically pleasing features in any beer; the segment of bubbles at the top. However, upon drinking Peroni, you’d quickly discover they have similar carbonation levels.

That said, it’s challenging to pick which is better regarding appearance. In fact, many people buy Stella Artois and Peroni interchangeably due to this reason.

Popular Examples Of Each Beer Style

Stella Artois and Peroni are both Pilsners. There are four main types of pilsners: American Pilsners, Belgian Pilsners, Czech Pilsners, and German Pilsners.

This beer style is classified to be a lager. Not surprisingly, lagers are one of the world’s most produced types of beer. Italians originally created Peroni. However, they are now classified to be an International American Lager.

Asides from Peroni and Stella Artois, other examples of Pilsners include Jupiler, Heineken, Amstel, and Grolsch.

Piedbouef brewery, a brewery under Anheuser-Busch, is responsible for the production of Jupiler. Currently, Jupiler takes a considerable chunk of the pilsner market share.

Of all other Pilsners, Heineken is the only one that currently gives Stella Artois and Peroni a run for their money. Heineken is produced by the Dutch Brewing Company H.V. and has sold about 1.7 million U.S. gallons since its inception. Its straw-colored appearance and light character make it an extremely popular option for parties and gatherings.

Amstel, also produced by Heineken, is an equally fantastic pilsner that has gathered quite the following. Currently being sold in 75 countries, it has become a household name through its provision of innovative ingredients and marketing efforts.

Grolsch is another pilsner initially produced by a Dutch Brewery. However, unlike Heineken, it has undergone a slight change in ingredients and general taste due to its acquisition by Asahi breweries in 2016. Regardless of this, it remains a highly-sought after beer.

Ultimately, the decision on which beer is better is down to subjective opinion. Some people prefer how Peroni tastes, while others are strongly endeared to Stella Artois. Their appearances are similar, and they go through identical brewing processes.

But before going along with what reviews on beer review sites like Beeradvocate say, we recommend you try these beers out for yourself. Doing this will allow you to make a more informed decision. Compared to the other Pilsners mentioned in this article, Peroni and Stella Artois maintain control of most of the lager market space.