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Porter – A journey through time, place and class

Do you like dark beer? Do you want beer with your roast or stew, with the mature cheese that is steaming in the fridge or with a dark, rich chocolate cake? And do you want to serve a story with the beer? Then Porter might be the answer. You can read more about this here.

Porter: A journey through time, place and class

From the slums of Britain to Catherine the Great in Russia and George Washington in the US. Porter is a journey through time, place and class. To many this may sound like a slightly obscure beer style reserved for microbreweries and beer enthusiasts, but about 200 years ago it was one of the most popular styles in Britain and the US. The style was so important that George Washington made sure to order extra stocks after a fire at his favourite brewery in 1790. And Catherine the Great had a stronger version imported in large quantities and in several batches from a brewery in London (Source: Oxford Companion to Beer).

But despite its prestige, Porter began its history in humble circumstances among the British working class in the early 18th century. The beer was probably a variant of what was known at the time as brown beers, a somewhat indefinable style with a brown colour and toasted and smoky aromas. Porter was distinguished by the fact that it was often stored for long periods in wooden containers. With the hygiene of the time, this meant that the beer was exposed to both wild yeast and bacterial cultures that did their part to characterize the beer.

Beer flooded into the streets

It may sound disgusting, but the wild yeast contributed odd aromas and the bacteria soured, making the beer both complex and slightly fresh. In fact, the style became so popular that brewers had to constantly expand their wooden tanks to make enough Porter. It all peaked in the early 19th century when the Meux brewery in London housed a tank of 3,250,000 liters. In October 1814, unfortunately, one of the tanks burst. The beer flooded into the streets, taking with it both buildings and lives; a total of eight people died from drowning, injuries or alcohol poisoning (Source: Oxford Companion to Beer).

With the end of the 19th century, the end of Porter also came. Lighter beers put Porter (and other dark beers) in the shade until a few decades ago, when Porter saw a new light and was resurrected in a new guise. The colour is still dark and brownish, but today the roasted chocolate and coffee character is often refined, while the acidity perhaps lives on as a small bite in the aftertaste and the odd aroma from wild yeast is largely absent altogether. The beer is full-bodied and flavourful with its typical 6% alcohol.

Why Porter?

In addition to Porter's exciting history, the beer has a number of unique characteristics. While some dark beers are almost exclusively associated with malt aromas, Porter, like Brown Ale and Stout, has a certain fruitiness and sweetness from top fermentation (yeast type and fermentation temperatures that encourage the formation of fruit aromas and retain some sweetness). This adds complexity to the beer and makes it more suitable for any sweetness in what will be served with the beer. Otherwise, the beer is more chocolate and coffee-like and stronger than Brown Ale, less coffee-like and weaker than Stout. In addition, a little of the beer's historical acidity often lingers and refreshes in the aftertaste.

Variations of Porter:

Baltic Porter

Bottom-fermented and strong variant of Porter.
Originally brewed in the Baltic countries, where Porter was a popular import.
Due to bottom fermentation, the beer is also drier and less fruity than regular Porter.

Porter and food

Porter is well worth pairing with food. Not only can it make for excellent pairings, it can also highlight different aspects of the beer.

With its dark character, strong flavour and relatively full body, Porter is a beer that generally pairs well with dark, flavourful and slightly rich dishes. Especially food with a lot of roast or grilled crust can tone down the slightly toasted character of Porter and bring out the fruitiness of the beer. Try a piece of grilled beef with brown sauce (preferably with a splash of Porter in it).

Porter can also go well with blue cheese. Porter has the flavour, sweetness, and fruitiness needed to balance the salty flavour of the not-too-strong blue cheeses.

And if you choose a variant with a slightly toned down bitterness, Porter can work well with dark chocolate desserts and cakes. The sweetness in the beer will be toned down somewhat, and the bitterness will stand out a bit more and clean up the fat, while the chocolate notes in the food will tone down the chocolate notes in the Porter and bring out the fruitiness.