Stout or Porter?

Love most of the different permutations of both styles. Only thing that I don't like is when brewers use a lot of black (patent) malt. Can't stand that characteristic.

 

Unless you're drinking them on nitro, I'd say, on average, their mouthfeel should be very similar.

 

Yes, it was but with the growing of the big companies and the expansion of even small breweries here in the us and Britain. Camra was created because of the revolution of small craft breweries. during the 70's Britain had an explosion of small breweries I think the number was like 1000 breweries. Sort of like the USA is going through right now.

In the 70's Britain companies started to merge and there began a raise in imported beer as well. The beer starting ot not be uniform from pub to pub So Carma yes had a big impact. But clearly it didn't help that much since we are still having this very discussion now today.

 

Except for when a brewery has both (think Sierra Nevada Porter vs. Stout). But I agree that brewery to brewery, the characteristics vary.

 

in Sn case there stout is a higher abv than there Porter. They also follow the roasted barley for stout and chocolate malt/ malted barley for porter.

 

There were never two styles, just two names for the same one.In fact many beers have been sold as a Porter at one time and a Stout at another.Guinness Foreign Extra Stout was West India Porter.

 

Historically that may be the case, especially in the Old World, but there has been plenty of delineation here in the New. There has subsequently been a lot of misnaming to follow. The subject is certainly, and has certainly been, a point of contention for quite some time.

 

SN Stout features black patent malt, not roast barley. Between that and the hops, it led to many an argument over whether it was really a porter or not.

 

This compelling topic was discussed in this thread in 2015: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/porter-vs-stout.243882/

Perhaps the difference is it was titled “Porter vs. Stout” while this thread is entitled “Stout or Porter”.

Maybe in 2019 there will be a thread titled “Porter and Stout”?

Cheers!

 

When I close my eyes and picture drinking a porter vs a stout it's a Mayflower vs a FBS, decidedly not in the same ballpark, so at least subconsciously I see a difference. Love 'em both by the way.

 

SN Porter and Stout - 2 extremely rare whales. Might have to start trading for them.

 

So the difference is that a stout has oats, chocolate, and coffee? Got it.
I'm joking, but the funny thing is that there's a tiny bit of truth to that these days.

 

But you can't put the genie back into the bottle.
I agree that there is much nonsense written about beer , usually copied from source to source without any attempt to check the facts.And many brewers despite being admirably skilled in beer making have little knowledge or understanding of its background.
"Styles" as such are a new idea , perhaps introduced by Michael Jackson . Stout and Porter were simply names attached to the beers by the brewers and their customers.I have read articles from a highly regarded writer who treated Pale Ale and Bitter as different things whereas PA was the term used in the brewery and Bitter was what it was sold as in the pub.

 

, indeed.

Why can't people just make beer that tastes like . . . well . . . beer.

 

And, believe it or not, vice versa for the Porter! I remember our home-brew club "seniors" often discussing this in the late '80s (though, I can't recall their reasoning).

 

Just saw them both in Wisconsin...

 

Indeed.

Great examples. Much the same with the Belgian tradition as well.

 

Ha. Exactly. These days is seems that Porters are truer classic examples of the style... and stouts are adjunct city.

 

So, are you suggesting that when brewers called their beers: porter, bitter, Burton ale, etc in the first half of the 1900s that it didn't have any meaning... or that it had significantly less meaning than it does now? My question sounds very silly but I'm serious.