It's interesting how different reputations can be in different areas. In North America, Stella Artois is the pretentious beer you buy when you're trying to impress someone with your refined beer-buying ability*. In Europe it's the white trash beer. Apparently if you walk up to a barkeep in the UK and ask for a "wifebeater", you'll get a pint of Stella.
I learned it on Fark, so take it with a grain of salt.
*Is anyone really impressed if you buy a Stella (or some obscure cocktail, or expensive Scotch or wine)? My hypothesis is that people who feign interest at all are responding to the fact that an attempt at impressing has occurred, rather then what the attempt consisted of.
--- late edit ---
I suppose the source of the nickname could be "Streetcar Named Desire" - "Stella" = "Wifebeater". But that kind of logic could make you blanche.
I learned it on Fark, so take it with a grain of salt.
*Is anyone really impressed if you buy a Stella (or some obscure cocktail, or expensive Scotch or wine)? My hypothesis is that people who feign interest at all are responding to the fact that an attempt at impressing has occurred, rather then what the attempt consisted of.
--- late edit ---
I suppose the source of the nickname could be "Streetcar Named Desire" - "Stella" = "Wifebeater". But that kind of logic could make you blanche.