What is 'porter'.?

Question

I keep coming across references to porter as an alcoholic drink. Can anyone tell what it is please?

Answer 1

Some of these answers are close but so off base at the same time. Porter is not a type of stout. Stout is stout, and porter is porter.

Porter is a beer style that historically was a blended beer that was served to the working class citizenz AKA the porters. Originally the beer was actually called an "Entire Butt" or a "3 Threads." There was no true recipe for the beer to begin with it was a mash of fresh and stale beer of various styles. Anyways, time passes and the beer gained in popularity and eventually recipes or standards for the style were developed and the name Porter eventually won out over Entire or 3 threads.

Time passes again and the style almost goes extinct, nearly completely lost to the sands of time, up until about the 1970s when a period ship was discovered with several old casks of Porter on board. From those casks they managed to cultivate the yeast and emulate the beer and that specific beer is known as The Original Flag Porter, perhaps you've seen it in stores. In recent years the style has seen a massive revival and has branched out in to other divisions of the style including Baltic Porter, and Robust Porter.

Porter as a style is generally dark IN COLOR, more roasty than a stout, and lighter in body. The beer is commonly made with English ingredients.

Answer 2

The name originates from the early 18th Centuary in London, The breweries there produced a stronger than normal beer (a mixture of beer, ale and stout or some combination thereof) this was also the first beer to be aged by the breweries rater than by a publican. The name 'porter became attached to the drink because of the popularity of the beer with the numerous porters that worked throughout the city and on the river at the time. So 'porter' is really just a strong dark beer.

Answer 3

Porter is a dark ale. Unlike Stout, it's character does not come from roasted barley, but from other dark grains such as chocolate malt and black patent malt.

Porter is the grandaddy of stout. Porter was the common man's drink and often home-brewed. It was originally made commercially by the Guiness brewery.

Try an Anchor Porter, it is rich, complex and bittersweet.

Answer 4

Porter is a beer with a dark colour. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined[1]. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London. It is generally brewed with dark malts. The name "stout" for a dark beer came about because a strong porter may be called "Extra Porter" or "Double Porter" or "Stout Porter". The term "Stout Porter" would later be shortened to just "Stout". For example, Guinness Extra Stout was originally called "Extra Superior Porter" and was only given the name Extra Stout in 1840.[2]

Answer 5

Porter is an old fashion beer that is generally classed as "Real Ale" in this day and age. Porter is made to a specific recipe that makes the beer very dark, almost like stout (Guiness). Very few hops are used in it's fermentation process and so it has a rich malty taste. The alcohol content is usually quite high around 4.5- 6.0 abv.
A pint of Porter on a cold winter's night is just the thing to warm you through.

Answer 6

Porter is a beer with a dark colour. The name was first used in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London.

Answer 7

Over here in Ireland older men used to ask for a bottle or a pint of "porter" at the bar. They were always happy when they were served "Guinness"

Answer 8

Porter is a type of beer, cheers

Answer 9

Porter is a type of stout, not unlike a famous Irish one.

Answer 10

porter is a very dark coloured beer,dating back to medieval times..an extra strong/double porter..sometimes referred to as a ''Stout Porter'' or as it is known nowadays simply as stout..a good example of a porter type beer is Guinness..as opposed to port which is from Portugal and is a fortified wine