Ceedubya

Recipes 

This is my understanding as well. The Stout was originally and adjective, as in a Stout Porter. It now seems to have grown into a style all of it own. I think the main difference is the grain bill.

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SkewedBrewing

Recipes 

A Stout is an ale. A Black and Tan isn't a style of beer its a mixture of two (in the US at least), usually Bass and Guiness.

A Porter is similar to a stout but is a little lighter and usually doesn't use something like a Black Patent Malt or anything like that.

You can find some great Oatmeal Stout recipes in the Recipe Section

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SumnerH

Recipes 

I don't think "strong" vs "weak" is what you mean here.

A Black and Tan is almost always stronger than Guinness; Guinness is one of the weakest beers there is, aside from light beers and near-beer/non-alcoholic. It's very thin (texture/gravity-wise), which is what allows it to float on the ale in a layered black and tan.

Flavor-wise, anything you did that was thick/oatmeal type is going to be a _lot_ stronger than a Guinness.

Numbers-wise, Guinness Draught clocks in at about 125 calories at about 4.2% ABV. The only common beers that are weaker are all light beers (or low/no-alcohol beers), and Guinness is actually closer to Bud Light than it is to Budweiser (which is a considerably stronger beer than Guinness, despite being fairly weak in the general scheme of things).

Compared that to, say:
4.2%/110 for a Bud Light (similar for Coors Light, Miller Light is slightly lower)
5.0%/145 for a Budweiser (or similar for a Miller or Coors in their non-light versions), 5.5%/160 for the Bass it'd be layered with in a true black and tan,
5.6%/175 for a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
9.5%/295 for a McEwan's Scotch Ale.

Beer Calories, Beer Alcohol, Beer Carbohydrates.
Beer Calories, Beer Alcohol, Beer Carbohydrates.

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On deck: Little Bo Pils, Bretta Off Dead (Brett pale)
Secondary: Oude Bruin, Red Sky at Morning (Sour brown ale)
On tap: Saison Duphunk (sour), Amarillo Slim (IPA), Earl White (ginger/bergamot wit)
Bottled: Number 8 (Belgian Strong Dark Ale), Eternale (Barleywine), Ancho Villa (Ancho/pasilla/chocolate/cinnamon RIS), Oak smoked porter (1/2 maple bourbon oaked, 1/2 apple brandy oaked)

remilard

Recipes 

While the first porters and stouts were ales, there is in fact a historical (and contemporary) precedent for the use of lager yeast in both styles. In particular, Caribbean made stouts and Baltic Porters are often made with lager yeast. Some porters in the UK have been made with lager yeast as well.

nerdlogic

Recipes 

You all rock. So what i've learned is that:

1) a stout or porter is an ale
2) what i meant by "not as strong as guinness" was really "not as bitter"

Can anyone recommend a recipe?

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david_42

Recipes 

There are Black lagers, Schwartzbier is one of the more common ones; but they aren't related to Porters or Stouts. They mostly get their color from de-husked darkly roasted malts.

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carnevoodoo

Recipes 

I would just look for a dry stout recipe and dial back to like 35 IBUs. You don't want it much lower or you'll be really imbalanced.

SumnerH

Recipes 

Guinness is not very bitter, either. A lot of porters and stouts are going to have higher IBUs than a Guinness draught.

There are four things that might be what you're thinking:
1. Guinness is dark (in color), so maybe that makes it psychologically "less light".
2. Guinness is a bit sour (be it from lacto or acidulated malt)
3. Guinness has more "roasted" notes than a porter will.
4. Guinness used a nitrogen system to give it a very fine head of tiny bubbles.

__________________
On deck: Little Bo Pils, Bretta Off Dead (Brett pale)
Secondary: Oude Bruin, Red Sky at Morning (Sour brown ale)
On tap: Saison Duphunk (sour), Amarillo Slim (IPA), Earl White (ginger/bergamot wit)
Bottled: Number 8 (Belgian Strong Dark Ale), Eternale (Barleywine), Ancho Villa (Ancho/pasilla/chocolate/cinnamon RIS), Oak smoked porter (1/2 maple bourbon oaked, 1/2 apple brandy oaked)

SumnerH

Recipes 

I think maybe it's the sourness he doesn't like. Leave the hops as is and drop any souring step or acidulated malt. Or go for more of an oatmeal stout or a porter that skews toward the nut brown end of the spectrum.

__________________
On deck: Little Bo Pils, Bretta Off Dead (Brett pale)
Secondary: Oude Bruin, Red Sky at Morning (Sour brown ale)
On tap: Saison Duphunk (sour), Amarillo Slim (IPA), Earl White (ginger/bergamot wit)
Bottled: Number 8 (Belgian Strong Dark Ale), Eternale (Barleywine), Ancho Villa (Ancho/pasilla/chocolate/cinnamon RIS), Oak smoked porter (1/2 maple bourbon oaked, 1/2 apple brandy oaked)

McGarnigle

Recipes 

Correct! Baltic porters are probably closer to doppelbocks than to Irish or British stouts.