Porter

Porter

Porters are a traditional ale originally from England, starting their story way back in the 1700’s. Both the Northern English  and those in and around London developed their own individual characteristics, however the London style became more popular and eventually became the dominant version of the style nearly eliminating Northern Porters entirely. Porters were made for dock workers who wanted something stronger, bolder, and more alcoholic than the traditional pub ales that they were getting from their local taverns. Brewers used heavily kilned and roasted malts to give rich dark colors and roasted flavors to a beer powerful enough to appease 18^th century longshoremen. They enjoyed a quick rise to popularity during the rise of the Age of Enlightenment, with George Washington being a famous fan of porters, even frequenting an ale house in New York City that made a particularly good one.

They became so popular in the UK that a kind of arms race evolved to see which brewery could cooper the largest barrel for their porter, with some so large that parties were held in them as a christening, complete with coursed meals and a live band (sanitization was still less than important to them, I guess). By the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, this race has all but ended, however, one incident really cemented the idea that huge barrels weren’t the best idea at the time. On October 16, 1814, Meux Brewery in London was still proud of their huge barrels, when the pressure cause a jet of porter to blast out the side of one. An adjacent tank was exploded, and the resulting chaos reigned over a 5 block radius from the brewery for a good bit of time. The explosions killed 8 people, including women and children, almost immediately, with 12 more dying from alcohol poisoning from diving head first into a river of porter running through the streets, or being trampled in the rush to the river of porter running through the streets.

This tragedy became a key component in the industrialization of the brewing industry as a whole. As the industry grew more technologically advanced, porters grew in popularity, with some estimates giving them nearly 10 times the production volume of regular ale brewers. Over the next 100 years or so, porters started to decline in popularity, especially outside of the London docks. In America, with the advent of Prohibition, porters all but disappeared, but they were still kicking in the UK. In recent years, porters have seen a revival with craft breweries adopting the style and blending traditional malts and new flavors to create unique and interesting variants of this black beer.

Robust Porters, like the ones found in London 200 years ago are generally stronger than the Brown Porter. Robust porters can be quite a bit darker, with mostly black hues along with hints of red and magenta along the edges, while the Brown is lighter in both color and body. Brown porters are slightly nutty, and robust porters have hearty coffee and toasted qualities to the flavor profile. Neither is heavily hopped, but Brown porters are more likely to take some stone fruit flavors from hops than their southern cousins.

ABV: 4.5-6.5%   IBU: 25-40    SRM: 30+

Porter Recipe

INGREDIENTS

10.5 lbs 2-row Pale Ale Malt  

1 lb Black Malt

½ lb Chocolate Malt

2 oz Fuggle Hops

1 oz East Kent Goldings Hops

British Ale Yeast

-Optional-

1 tsp Chalk (CaCO3) for water chemistry

Licorice Drops for added bitter flavors and smoothness

PROCEDURE

London style water

Single Temp Infusion Mash @ 153 degrees Fahrenheit

170 Degree Sparge

60 Minute Wort Boil

4-10 Day Primary Fermentation

1 Week Secondary Fermentation

Force Carbonate w/ CO2 or Prime with Dextrose and Bottle Condition 2 Weeks

Grains Used

2-Row Pale Ale Malt: A basic base malt, this won’t impart too much color and very little flavor. It is a pretty clean, crisp malt that works well with specialty grains and pretty much any style of beer. American varieties are generally less starchy and lighter than English breeds.

Black Malt: Adds dark black coloring, as well as charcoal aroma, strong bitter coffee flavor. Used with caution, can add angular roasty characteristics to beer.

Chocolate Malt: Adds deep garnet red colors, roasted nut flavors and aromas. Named for its color, not any flavor or aromatic properties.

Hops Used

Fuggle: A versatile and traditional English hop variety, Fuggle was introduced in the 19^th century and has been a staple of British beers ever since. Usually an aromatic hop, it can be used at any point in the brewing process. In this case, its low Alpha Acid levels make it a perfect bittering hop for low IBU Porter beers.

East Kent Goldings: An English hop variety from the 18^th century, this traditionally aromatic British hop is widely used across all styles of homebrewed beer. Slightly sweet, earthy, and floral, East Kent Goldings are generally considered to be the quintessential English hops.

Yeast Used

SafAle S-04: A basic English dry yeast strain that works well across all styles but really thrives in malty and dark ales. Top fermenting and reliable, S-04 dry yeast can handle most low to medium ABV beers, it ferments quickly and creates a tight sediment base, increasing the clarity of lighter English ales while still retaining the hearty characteristics of pub beer.

Optional Ingredients Used

Licorice Drops: Usually only used in dark angular beers like porters and black lagers, licorice drops add a subtle sweetness that balances with the roasted flavor from the malts. Also aids in head retention and deepening color.

Chalk: Adding chalk, or calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the mash water, before adding cracked grain, will lower the natural acids occurring with dark malts, as well as aiding in clarifying the final product.