Over the past three years I rekindled my love for beer. I come from a family with mostly pedestrian taste in beer. The few times I tried it in high school, I wasn't that impressed. When I graduated to drinking legally, I stuck with spirits, usually the hard-to-mess-up vodka/soda. A drinker's drink.

But when I started hanging out in darker bars, ordering a mixed drink seemed out of place, and sipping through that little straw wasn't exactly the butchest way to enjoy a cocktail. So I switched to beer, usually Corona or Rolling Rock.

Then I found my favorite... Stella Artois. I'll admit that initially I thought there was some cache in drinking a Belgian beer that many Americans hadn't tasted. I tried to turn my friends on to it whenever I had the chance. It helps that Stella is good, especially when served icy cold in a frosty pint glass. I keep half a dozen pint glasses in the freezer for just this purpose. My favorite way to cool off by the pool.

But I was sorely disappointed to learn that Stella has a somewhat downmarket reputation in Europe. A bit common, I guess. (I was equally shocked to learn my colleagues in Ireland order Budweiser as a premium beer. Who knew?) The higher alcohol content in Europe (in the UK anyway) makes it easy to overindulge. I suspect this is another reason for the cringeworthy nickname "wifebeater," although the reference to A Streetcar Named Desire makes sense.

The unfortunate side effect to my new love... carbs and calories and what they've done to my stomach. I'm afraid to say that I'm the heaviest I've ever been at this point. Nothing too shocking, but just more than I'd like to be carrying around. So Stella is going on holiday for awhile. I've filled up the spot in the fridge where the beer generally goes with assorted veg, and I think we might actually start going to the gym again.... my doctor will be thrilled.