Recommend a Factory Porter

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Clint Yeastwood

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I have no idea what a good porter is like. Any recommendations? I just never got around to getting to know porters. I can get Samuel Smith. Is that a good start?
 
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For the record, the BJCP guidelines list the following as commercial examples:

American Porter: Anchor Porter, Bell’s Porter, Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, Sierra Nevada Porter, Smuttynose Robust Porter.

English Porter: Bateman’s Salem Porter, Burton Bridge Burton Porter, Fuller's London Porter, Nethergate Old Growler Porter, RCH Old Slug Porter, Samuel Smith Taddy Porter.

Personally, my favorite type of Porter is a little in-between the two styles. One that is a slightly more robust English Porter.
 
From What I’ve been told historically those dark beers were called porters until the export stout was brewed, strong and hoppy for traveling aboard ships (like English IPA). There is also the Baltic porter.
Ive had Baltic porter that’s 10% which is higher ABV than many stouts available. This is really good if you can find it by the way.
 

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More porter was shipped to India than pale ale.*

Breweries made both porter and stout, sometimes out of the exact same grist. That's not to say both beers used the same grist make-up, but that they were run off the exact same mash!

"The Stouts were rarely brewed by themselves, almost always being party-gyled with one of the Porters."

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2007/07/difference-between-porter-and-stout.html?m=1

*From Philly, too!

http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2010/08/ale-and-porter-brewing-in-philadelphia.html?m=1
 
Of course, there's the question of what is a porter? Is it really all that different from a stout?
I thought it was the other way around.

What is a stout? Is it really all that different than a porter!

Some ramblings I've read say that stout use to be a term applied to any beer that with a high alcohol content regardless of color.

With regard to the OP, I appreciate the question as to what to try. Although I liked them when I tried them, IPA's, pilsner's and Lager's comprise most of the beer I have drank since before I can even say in public.

So I don't even know what a good porter or stout is supposed to be.
 
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Several years go a rep from Guinness gave a talk to my HBC and shared samples… Irish stout is, the “light beers” of stout. It is session strength and many can be had at the pub without falling down.

Yes, of course. The most satisfying light beer on the market. In light of that fact, how does it fit in with "stout is a strong porter"?
 
I have no idea what a good porter is like. Any recommendations? I just never got around to getting to know porters. I can get Samuel Smith. Is that a good start?
Samuel Smith Taddy Porter is excellent.
If you're looking to brew a porter then I can recommend the Honeymoon Porter, found in the recipe section of this site. I've brewed it a couple times and have really enjoyed it. One of the times I brewed it I flavored it with pecan extract from Apex/Silver Cloud and entered it in a local competition. It scored really high.
 
I'll tell you what. I'll just go by the BJ whatever guidelines, recommendations from forum members, and the word "porter" on the bottle.
 
Yes, of course. The most satisfying light beer on the market. In light of that fact, how does it fit in with "stout is a strong porter"?
It does not. But it is not that big companies ever cared about being correct.... it is more about what sells. There are good links in the previous posts about the history of stout and porter.

Same grist and hops + less water = stout

Same grist and hops + more water = porter
 
Personally, I don't like Guinness at all, so I've always avoided all stouts. But I love Porters. I've never thought of them as related. Maybe I should try some other stouts besides Guinness.
You absolutely should. There's a whole world of stouts out there that have little comparison to Guinness.
 
It does not. But it is not that big companies ever cared about being correct.... it is more about what sells. There are good links in the previous posts about the history of stout and porter.

Same grist and hops + less water = stout

Same grist and hops + more water = porter

And there's the period of time when breweries made either/or, but not both. Then practically no breweries made porter, but they still had low gravity dark roasty ales.

But it is not that big companies ever cared about being correct.... it is more about what sells.

Indeed.
 
I used to love Guinness on beer gas. Then I tried Murphy's and liked it better. The only other non-imperial I've tried was a milk stout, and I couldn't believe people actually drank it.

The stout I just made is my all-time favorite low-gravity stout, says the guy who has tried three. I call it "low-gravity" because "dry" doesn't fit. I don't know what to call it. Someone here probably knows the name of a style that fits. It's like the North Coast people lost their minds and tried to make a thinner Old Rasputin to compete with Guinness. Crazy head, lots of caramel, coffee, and chocolate flavors. Slight sweetness.

Maybe the popularity of Guinness has given people limited horizons when it comes to stout. Or porter. Or prout. Whatever.
 
And there's the period of time when breweries made either/or, but not both. Then practically no breweries made porter, but they still had low gravity dark roasty ales.

But it is not that big companies ever cared about being correct.... it is more about what sells.

Indeed.
I know, all mixed up. That is why I say there is neither stout nor porter, there is spourter.


.... honestly, it is both the same nowadays and can be used interchangably.
 
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