Stella Artois' misleading ads

The brewer behind Stella Artois has been criticised by the advertising watchdog for implying that one family has brewed the lager for 600 years.

An advert for the beer, often advertised with the slogan 'reassuringly expensive', read: 'A family dedicated to brewing for six centuries.'

InBev UK – the firm behind the Belgian beer brand – said the 'family' reference was intended to give an overall impression of the Artois heritage and its 'family' of beers.

But the Advertising Standards Authority said it wrongly implied a single family had been brewing the lager for 600 years.

That claim breached advertising rules on truthfulness and substantiation, the ASA said.