Stella Artois to release first-ever limited-edition, US holiday brew: Midnight Lager

Morgan Hines | USA TODAY

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This holiday season, Stella Artois is going back to its roots, with a twist.

The Belgian beer maker has announced Midnight Lager, a U.S.-exclusive, limited-edition holiday beer available nationwide Nov. 4 through the end of the calendar year. The new brew features subtle notes of dark chocolate and espresso with a smoky finish.

Midnight Lager is the company's first-ever seasonal brew. However, at its core, Stella Artois is a holiday beer.

"The idea of holidays and gifting our consumers a special treat at the holidays is really in our DNA," Lara Krug, vice president of marketing at Stella Artois, told USA TODAY.

Stella Artois' history dates back to 1366 when its predecessor, the Den Hoorn brewery, was established in Leuven, Belgium. Nearly 350 years later in 1708, Sebastian Artois was certified as a master brewer by the local guild and later acquired the Den Hoorn brewery, which eventually evolved into Artois Brewery.

As it grew in popularity, the brewery created a special Christmas batch as a gift to the people of Leuven, explained Isabelle Seunier, director of innovation and technology development North America at Anheuser-Busch InBev.

That batch became the first to include "Stella" – Latin for "star" – in its name and a star etched into the glass.

The new beer, Midnight Lager, was brewed specifically for American consumers with a European influence. The dark lager is "deep" and "warm."

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"We know that consumers, on their own, are always looking for variety, especially during the holiday season," said Krug.

In creating the beer, they looked within their own brand. The idea wasn't to recreate the wheel, Seunier said, but to add to it.

"It's the authentic Stella Artois brewing process," Seunier said, noting that Midnight Lager utilizes uses Stella's traditional malt and hops but adds special notes. In other words, dark doesn't necessarily mean heavy. The website proclaims Midnight Lager has a light-to-medium body with a crisp, dry finish.

Midnight Lager, 5.4% ABV, will be available as six or 12-packs at stores across the United States that carry other Stella Artois products, including Walmart and Kroger.

Some lucky New York beer lovers will get a Halloween treat: Midnight Lager will be on tap at two bars (J.P. Doyle’s and The Hudson Anchor) in the Headless Horseman's hometown of Sleepy Hollow, located in Westchester County, about an north of New York City.

Five other local bars will also have Midnight Lager on tap as Halloween rolls into the holiday season.

Follow Morgan Hines on Twitter: @MorganEmHines.