The history of Stella Artois Brewery, Leuven

The Den Hoorn brewery was founded in 1366 in Leuven, Belgium, initially a tavern producing beer for the local market. In 1717, Sébastien Artois purchased the brewery, renaming it Brouwerij Artois, after being head brewer since 1708.

Under Sebastian Artois's leadership, the brewery underwent significant expansion and modernization. The brewery's focus shifted towards producing lagers, which were gaining popularity at the time. In 1926, the brewery released a new beer, originally called Stella, inspired by the latin "star." It started as a limited edition, special holiday brew but became so popular that it remained in production year-round.

In 1930, the Artois Brewery began exporting Stella Artois to other countries and by 1960, around 100 million gallons of Stella Artois were produced annually. Over the years, Stella Artois gained a reputation for its high-quality, becoming synonymous with Belgian beer and developing a global following. 

In 1988, the Artois Brewery merged with Piedboeuf Brewery to form Interbrew. This merger marked the beginning of a series of acquisitions and consolidations that would eventually lead to the formation of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewing company. The merger also coincided with a rebranding that saw the label incorporate the horn symbol and medals for excellence awarded to Brouwerij Artois in the 19th and 20th centuries.

However, it wasn’t until 1993 that production moved to the factory at Leuven depicted above. By 2006 production reached one billion litres annually, with many of them produced at the fully automated factory. 

Famous marketing campaigns and slogans such as “Stella's for the fellas who take their lager strong” and “Reassuringly Expensive" have helped propel Stella to one of the most popular beers worldwide, with Stella the 8th most drunk beer worldwide in 2020.