Importer Brews Up Interest in a Beer Aimed at the Elite

When most people associate sporting events with beer, they think of football, baseball and wrestling.

But what to drink at rich men’s sports, such as tennis and snow and water skiing?

A Newport Beach company wants consumers to think about a new imported beer--Stella Artois.

Never heard of it? You will. Stella Artois already claims to export more beer to other European nations than any other beer brewed on the Continent. And it has now quietly entered the U.S. market.

Its U.S. importer, PAFCO Imports, and its U.S. distributor, Impact Wines & Spirits Inc.--both of Newport Beach--are trying to cash in on California’s burgeoning import beer market. But Stella Artois is trying to do it by appealing to the elite.

Already, the company is picking “selective” sporting events to sponsor, said William Knauer, president of both the import and distribution companies. The beer has already sponsored a downhill skiing event at Squaw Valley. And this summer, the company expects to sponsor an Orange County tennis tournament and a water-skiing competition in the Southland.

“We’re not going after the surfer set,” said Knauer, as have some successful imports, such as Corona. “Rather than reaching down to them, if they like us, they can move up to us.”

While it is a newcomer to the domestic market, Stella Artois has been brewed in Belgium for more than 600 years, although mass production in Europe did not begin until 1926. It operates 17 breweries throughout Europe and accounts for about 30% of the beer sold in Belgium.

Stella Artois is just devising a U.S. advertising campaign. Although the motto is still uncertain, Knauer said that with prices at more than $5 for a six-pack, the sales pitch may read: “Expensive for all the right reasons.”