Porter vs. Stout

i agree with the general idea that names are often marketing or downright arbitrary, but i find stouts are usually thicker and sweeter and porters tend to have a smokey character.

 

It seems to me porters tend to have a little more of a sharp or bitter bite while stouts tends to be softer or sweeter. I will usually opt for a stout over a porter but that probably means I'm missing some really good porters.

 

All porters are stouts, but not all stouts are porters...

 

That's just you

 

But there was Mild Porter as well as Mild Ale.

 

Let's face it, there are only 14 different styles: Blonde, Pale, Red, Dark, Black, Wheat, Fruit, Spiced, Smoked, Wild/Sour, Strong (i.e. Barleywine), Rye, Rice Beer and Braggot. All variations in between have only to do with the quantity of hops, type of yeast used and whatever non-fermentable adjuncts the brewer decides to throw in. Go ahead, throw rocks at it.

 

There ya go. Boom /thread

 

I will say the only difference I get is an ash-like taste in some porters. Besides that it seems to be just the choice of the brewer on what it called.

 

There are far fewer styles than 14.

 

well Orval is 1 all by itself IMHO. but I do not believe in "styles"
see Ron's post, i just re read Porter! myself, just to get the facts right.

amber, gold and black kind of just 3.

 

I like them both!!!!

 

Ok, then how many would you say there are?

 

read amber gold and black, by Martyn Cornell.
if you ever read Ron's blog (the whole blog), you could figure it out. lol
http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/...rter-and-stout.html?showComment=1184093820000

I have most of his books now. I can guess but I will not speak for Ron.

MJ invention of "styles"
http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2010/10/23/michael-jackson-and-the-invention-of-beer-style/

 

a stout is short for a stout porter...... the end

 

Both styles can be dramatically different. Within the Porter family of beers, you have Baltic Porters that are made with lager yeast and if you take the Stout family of beers, a Sweet Stout can have lacto in it and is made with ale yeast. Very different taste profiles. Did you get a chance to taste Sixpoint's 3 Bean or Left Hands Milk Stout? Good commericial beers for those 2 styles.

 

So the difference is that one will tend to have more darker malts (The Stout). This causes more unfermentable sugars and proteins so they will generally be darker and sweeter. That is the difference in composition between the two speaking from the process. One is dryer and fermented lower and one is heavier and has a higher finishing gravity (Not always the case but if going by style guide lines)

I think Porter and Stout having been said to be the same thing is a little crazy and people should be caution on misinformation as we are here to promote literacy not guess and check. But that is my .02 worth.

 

You guys are both describing specific sub-styles within the larger family of porter/stout. There is no style rule for just porter or just stout, despite so many people's attempts to project their perceptions [i.e. opinions] on them.

Actually there is a great amount of literature and history on the subject that has been presented in this thread that favors the view that there is no discernable difference between modern stouts and porters. It's the people that insist on differences that are guessing and cannot provide well-sourced literature or even a prevailing opinion to support their view.

 

I just came across this article on Reddit and figured you guys would wanna read it. A really informative graphic on there as well. http://lovebeerlovefood.com/porter-vs-stout-really-what-is-the-difference/

 

wow as Ron would say total Bollocks.
http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/...rter-and-stout.html?showComment=1184093820000

the real answer IS NONE. and we do not have to say now versus then. When the term porter was invented there was NO difference none, let's all say slowly. these are things called facts, not some blog post. seriously....

now of course things are technically different. but the term did not start yesterday.

yes the abv is higher, but note the ratios of grains.

 

Porter: Thinner body, more prickly carbonation, lower ABV.
Stout: Creamier feel, less carbonation, generally a bit higher ABV.

This is just based on the ones I've tried, it tends to be fairly constant. There is a lot of blur though.