Is it because I’m black?

Blonde, it seems, is the new black. AB-InBev has baffled beer drinkers with the launch of a new beer designed to buttress Stella Artois’s position in the premium beer market.

It’s called Stella Black and it’s poured from a swanky looking black font but, and here’s the baffling bit, the beer’s not black. It’s a kind of golden colour.

Given the current success of black lagers like Asahi Black and Budweiser Budvar Dark, it seems a strange decision but, well, here’s what they had to say about the whole thing:

"We know that the name Stella Artois Black denotes premium quality to our customers and consumers – as opposed to being a descriptor in terms of the beer’s colour."

So. Well. Now you know. Other stuff AB-InBev says about it include: It’s brewed in Belgium, has an abv of 4.9%, it’s "matured a bit longer" (how much longer remains unclear….and longer than what?) and is aimed at "special occasions when consumers want to try something new and different" – as long as that new, different thing isn’t a black lager.

Oh and it’s going to be distributed in around 500 outlets in the UK.

Ben McFarland, 16.07.2010