Stout/Porter?

[beer4life]

I have a coffee stout/porter recipe and wondered what the difference between these two are. Im not really sure why the recipe would be labeled as both. Any ideas? Does it classify as a hybrid beer?

Thanks

 

[rhamilton]

Google.

The answer to the question: "What's the difference between a stout and a porter" is that originally a stout was simply a strong version of porter: today the difference is whatever you want it to be.

 

[JordanThomas]

Google.

While this may be good advice, I can tell you this: There isn't really a difference. From a terminology perspective, "porter" predates "stout," but they essentially denote the same style of beer (which is VERY expansive).

Some will argue that stouts all have roasted barley and porters don't, but some do, and some stouts don't. Meh, semantics.

There's a decent article about it here: http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/a-lesson-in-beer-stout-vs-porter/

 

[beer4life]

That was helpful! Thanks everyone.

 

[dstranger99]

I don't recall any beers in the grocery stores I frequent listed as Porter's, I could be wrong but I always get a pint of Guiness (stout), and there's a few other's with STOUT right on the label, but never porter. I've always wondered myself.

 

[mcwilcr]

The BJCP style guidelines are quite helpful in answering questions like this and for giving you ideas when trying to design your own recipes.
http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php

 

[gbarron]

What mcwilcr said. Take a look at the BJCP guidelines and that will help you out tremendously.

Brown and Baltic porters are nothing like any stout. A robust porter is closer to a stout but should not have as much roasted barley presence. Yes, there is some overlap between the two, but to suggest there "really isn't a difference" is incorrect.

 

[amandabab]

I have a coffee stout/porter recipe and wondered what the difference between these two are. Im not really sure why the recipe would be labeled as both. Any ideas? Does it classify as a hybrid beer?

Thanks

For a long time Tadcaster didn't label casks until orders came in.
Snooty taverns orders got the porter they wanted, public houses got the stout they ordered. just separated between strong 1st running stout/porter, 2nd running stout/porter, and 3rd running smalls.

the only differences are the ones the BJCP recently made up out of thin air.

 

[JordanThomas]

For a long time Tadcaster didn't label casks until orders came in.
Snooty taverns orders got the porter they wanted, public houses got the stout they ordered. just separated between strong 1st running stout/porter, 2nd running stout/porter, and 3rd running smalls.

the only differences are the ones the BJCP recently made up out of thin air.

Agreed.

 

[JordanThomas]

What mcwilcr said. Take a look at the BJCP guidelines and that will help you out tremendously.

Brown and Baltic porters are nothing like any stout. A robust porter is closer to a stout but should not have as much roasted barley presence. Yes, there is some overlap between the two, but to suggest there "really isn't a difference" is incorrect.

I don't want to start an argument, because, while what you said is correct (Baltic/robust/etc) variations definitely are distinct, the terminology of "stout" or "porter" as they were originally used, have very little difference. BJCP made all of those categories up. Not saying that is bad...

An analogy: Ford Contours are largely the same as a Mercury Mystiques, but they have different names, badging, and other little stuff. But if you really want to argue that Ford did an awesome job by breaking them up into two different brands and then giving them slight tweaks, that is absolutely valid. BUT, in essence, they are the same.

 

[gbarron]

Well your point is well taken and I agree with the analogy to a considerable extent. I guess I was thinking about this more from a modern homebrewer's perspective than a historical one.

If I go about designing a recipe for a porter, I will approach it differently than I would a stout. I agree that what the BJCP defines as a robust porter may be difficult to distinguish from an American-style stout. There is a lot of overlap there. And if you submitted the same beer to both those categories in a well judged BJCP comp, you may score highly in both. I think your analogy is apt here.

However, if you take the rest of the sub-styles (brown and Baltic porter, and Irish, sweet, oatmeal, foreign, and imperial stouts) I see a lot of differences not only in flavor and body, but also gravity, IBU's, etc.

If the brewer doesn't care about BJCP distinctions/guidelines/competitions and feels like it is a porter and not a stout or vice versa, hey - who am I to say that is right or wrong. As a BJCP judge I am asked to adhere to and apply those distinctions when judging. I personally like to use them as an informational guideline when coming up with a new beer, but I don't feel constrained by them.