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Concept
Porter (beer)
Summary
Porter is a style of beer that was developed in London, England in the early 18th century. It was well-hopped and dark in appearance owing to the use of brown malt. The name is believed to have originated from its popularity with porters.
The popularity of porter was significant. It became the first beer style to be brewed around the world, and production had commenced in Ireland, North America, Sweden, and Russia by the end of the 18th century.
The history of stout and porter are intertwined. The name "stout", used for a dark beer, came about because strong porters were marketed as "stout porter", later being shortened to just stout. Guinness Extra Stout was originally called "Extra Superior Porter" and was not given the name "Extra Stout" until 1840. Today, the terms stout and porter are used by different breweries almost interchangeably to describe dark beers, and have more in common than in distinction.
Porter was first mentioned in 1721, as a development of the brown beer already being produced across London, and delivered to publicans to age and blend to their customers tastes. The innovation is attributed to Ralph Harwood, a brewer at the Bell Brewhouse in Shoreditch.
Before 1700, London brewers sent out their beer very young, as Milds; any ageing into Stale styles, was either performed by the publican or a dealer, with blends of Milds and Stales often sold to the public. Porter was one of the first beer styles to be aged at the brewery and dispatched in a condition fit to be drunk immediately. It was also a style that could be made on a large scale, and the London porter brewers, such as Whitbread, Truman, Parsons and Thrale, achieved economies of scale, and financial success.
Early London porters were strong beers by modern standards. Early trials with the hydrometer in the 1770s recorded porter as having an original gravity (OG) of 1.071 and 6.6% alcohol by volume (ABV). Increased taxation during the Napoleonic Wars pushed its gravity down to around 1.055, where it remained for the rest of the 19th century.
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