The Difference Between Stouts and Porters

Would you drink a Fukcing Awesome Porter?
Think about that acronym.

 

I buy them whatever they call them.Having had God knows how many of each I can't tell which is which.For every example there's a counter example.Often as not "stout" or "porter" is selected to make a slick name or simply because it sounds better.

 

On a more serious note, I chimed in originally to merely suggest some porters that I think are things that might agree with the OP's admitted preference for stouts.

Now I think I see what kind of shit storm this topic was previously.

 

Good except that the overlap should be total. If we're being historically accurate the stouts would be a subset of porter.

 

I ♥ OED. Just some fun info -
stout -
Etymology: Probably elliptical for stout ale or stout beer (stout adj. 11), though in our quots. these are not found till much later.

†a. ‘A cant name for strong beer’ (Johnson). Obs.
b. In present use, a strong variety of porter.
1677 R. Hawtrey Let. (Egerton MS. 2716) , We will drink your healths both in stoutt and best wine.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew, Stout, very strong, Malt-Drink.
1719 in T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth V. 83 We will frolick in Stout, And banish all Care in a Mug.
1728 Swift To Stella in Swift et al. Misc. Last vol. 289 Or kindly when his Credit's out, Surprize him with a Pint of Stout.
1762 W. Burton Let. 13 Jan. in B.L. Add. MS. 32933 f. 273, The Porter Brewers likewise make a Beer of an Extraordinary Strength, called Stout, that will bear being made weaker by mixing it with Smal.
1816 Times 25 Jan. in Hone's Every-day Bk. I. 462 Each house was supplied with Brown Stout.
1847 A. Smith Christopher Tadpole (1848) xxvi. 237 A bottle of stout and a biscuit.
1882 W. Besant All Sorts of Men I. Prol. i. 12 Messenger, Marsden, and Company's Stout, their XXX, [etc.].

porter -
Etymology: Apparently short for porter's ale n. at porter n.2 Compounds 2; compare also later porter's beer n. at porter n.2 Compounds 2. The beer was apparently originally either made for or chiefly drunk by porters and the lower class of labourers: compare the early quots. It probably arose as a popular descriptive term.

Statements going back to c1750 attribute the first brewing of the beer to a certain Ralph Harwood in Shoreditch (compare e.g. quot. c1750 at main sense), but these statements cannot be verified, and in any case claim that he applied the term entire (see entire adj. 2b) rather than porter's ale or porter's beer to the drink.

A dark-brown or black bitter beer, brewed from malt partly charred or browned by drying at a high temperature.

1721 N. Amhurst Terrae Filius 27–30 May 2/2 We had rather dine at a Cook's Shop upon Beef, Cabbage and Porter, than tug at an Oar, or rot in a dark, stinking Dungeon.
1724 D. Defoe Great Law Subordination Consider'd ix. 261, I have convers'd with them over a Mug of Porter, as they call their Alehouse Beer and Ale.
c1750 J. Gutteridge in Gentleman's Mag. (1819) May 394/2 Harwood, my townsman, he invented first Porter to rival wine, and quench the thirst. Porter,..Whose reputation rises more and more.
1772 Town & Country Mag. 117 Hard working people delight in a kind of strong beer called porter, brown, clear, bitter and wholesome.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 1005 At first the essential distinction of porter arose from its wort being made with highly-kilned brown malt.
1893 J. A. Barry Steve Brown's Bunyip 295 The captain certainly had sent them a couple of dozen of porter. But, as one explained,—What's the good of sich rubbishin' swankey?
1922 E. O'Neill Anna Christie (1923) i. 6 Johnny draws the lager and porter and sets the big, foaming schooners before them.
1973 G. Beare Snake on Grave vii. 38 He would never pass up a pint of porter for a pound of Porterhouse.
1989 T. Woods Gartloney Rats (song) in Pogues Peace & Love (record sleeve), There was Mahon the Singer who knew all the songs And never was known to put a foot wrong, More porter he drank than there was in the land And he'd never get drunk but stay sober.

porter brewer -
1762 W. Burton Let. 13 Jan. in B.L. Add. MS. 32933 f. 273, The Porter Brewers likewise make a Beer of an Extraordinary Strength, called Stout, that will bear being made weaker by mixing it with Smal.

 

I like stout porters!!!

 

Amber malt? In porters? I guess there could be porters out there brewed with amber malt, or stouts for that matter, but its not a malt that defines either style.

 

Well, as far as i am concerned, difference between porters and stouts is very similar to that between IPA and DIPA. DIPA and Stouts are stronger versions of IPA and Porters, respectively.

 

I love both styles personally. From what I understand based on everything I've tried is that it's really up to what the brewer wants to label it as. I've had porters that I would probably have considered stouts if the label didn't indicate otherwise (Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter and Williamsburg Bourbon Barrel Porter come to mind). At the same time there are stouts I might have labeled a porter. Doesn't bother me enough, I like drinking both styles.

 

When i first drank an IPA i was so excited to discover that style and was all so euphoric about it. Then came DIPA. IPAs mostly underwhelm (comparatively) now. I think same is the case here. When you have driven 5 series, 3 series does not feel so special anymore even though it is still a BMW.

 

It's generally up to the brewer to decide if he's going to call his blackened brew a stout or porter. By today's standards, if a brewery makes two black ale offerings, they will often name the darker of the two roasted brews the stout.

See: Deschutes - Black Butte Porter vs Obsidian Stout, Sierra Nevada - Porter vs Stout

Of course, this isn't always the case, so take what I just said with a grain of salt.

 

DIPA. Bitterness and feel, totally imperial. With alcohol on just a tad lower side.

 

Ideally, Stouts would lean more to a coffee (From the roasted malt) dominated profile and Porters would lead more to a chocolate dominated profile (from the chocolate malt).

The problem is, many brewers/drinkers found that beer tastes alot better when it has both strong chocolate and coffee notes (duh) and for that reason you get alot of brews that are something in between both styles.

I find that American interpretations of the style are mostly indistinguishable while European (read British) interpretations are much more discernible.

 

Your mom's not porter.

 

Perfect ilustration.

 

If we're being historically accurate virtually none of todays Porters or Stouts have a chance of being called Porters (the whole three thread / entire butt thing )

 

Wrote this question as part of an editorial for my homebrew club's newsletter (Gold Country Brewers Association):

"November’s style of the month is porters and stouts, which are BJCP Categories 12 and 13, respectively. One beer argument that I always here besides politics and religion, concerns the difference between a robust porter and an American stout. When compared per BJCP guidelines, the American stout may be slightly darker with a standard reference method (SRM) of up to 40, slightly hoppier with International Bitterness Units (IBUs) of up to 75, and may be a slightly stronger beer as the original gravity (OG) may be as high as 1.075. Maximums are a good indicator, but what happens when the beer is dark brown (SRM of 20-25), has about 35-50 IBUs and an OG of 1.050-1.055?

The two beers may look identical, have the same hopping rates, very similar mouthfeels, and similar OGs. How should we classify the beers as the consumer or a beer judge? Many brewers disagree, and this option is usually decided by the home brewer as far as how they want to classify the beer. Personally, I agree, but I would also consider the amount of roastiness be a distinguishing factor as well. If it’s not roasty, it’s a robust porter, if it is roasty, it’s a stout. I’m sure other home brewers and judges have methods to their madnesses of distinguishing the two styles, and I would love to hear them. "

Endovelico, pretty much hit the point.

 

I haven't seen one of these porter/stout threads in a while. They usually go on for about a month. Good luck comming to a resolution this time.