In Reply To #3 Arkell's Brewery in Swindon, UK, does a seasonal porter named after their chairman, Peter Arkell. If you're partial to the darker brews, Peter's Porter is absolutely delightful, with a rich black body, a respectable tan head, and cascading sheets melting down the inside of the glass... Sorry, I kind of go off to my happy place just thinking about it!

In Reply To #5 This is how I separate the two also. Personally, I think porters and dry stouts can become boring, but there are really good ones that make me beg for more -- such as Three Floyds Dark Lord, Bell's Expedition, Stone Russian Imp'y Stout, Fullers London Porter, and Anchor Porter, which all kick assssssssssssssssss!

In Reply To #1 A pity you don't like stouts and porters (yet?) - I LUUVV'EM!!! (most of them). Historically they are the same "style" - professional British porters [people carrying your luggage, that is - try finding one these days when you need one!] had an affinity for the dark "stout ales", and the style was nicknamed after them. Later on "porter" seems to be used mainly for the lighter-bodied (relatively speaking) - and in Britain rather fruity - black / dark ruby ales, and "stout" for the pitch black ones with an even heavier roast character, but you'll have no problem finding "porters" that are a much heavier mouthful than some "stouts". They really are varieties of the same style, and there are no sharp limits between the two.

In Reply To #12 Historically, they weren't really even as similar as they are today. Porters used to be a mixed drink, similar to a black and tan. I can't recall exactly what constituents went into a porter, but I think it was a mix of a stout, esb, and mild, or something along those lines. Some breweries still make them like this, St. Peter's Organic Porter comes to mind. Over time, brewers made a beer that mimicked the fruity yet roasty flavor of these porters with one mash instead of three, hence the use of chocolate malt and less (if any) roasted barley. But again, all this fuss over style.... we should just call them Dubliners.

In Reply To #13 History is a Myth we all disagree on... http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art26470.asp The Bore of Beer checks in: http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000041.html More confusion: http://lunesdalecamra.org.uk/features/alebeer.php Homebrew Nazi version: http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/Category12.html

Since I posted this last September and it has recently received a little attention I thought I'd post my current views on this topic. I have found a few Stouts that I have actually enjoyed. No such luck in the Porter category.... had Samuel Smith's Taddy and it was alright (all other Sam Smith's I found outstanding). While I still think they are somewhat similar, I think I would definitely have to give the edge to Stouts now. Recently went on a Black & Tan kick so that was fun, trying the various Ale's with Stouts...

In Reply To #15 Porters and stouts are some of my favorite styles--at least in the winter. This time of year I'm more in a pale ale mood. Still I'll chip in on the Bully Porter. It's one of the better representatives of the porter style. You may or may not be able to get these in your area, but here are some I've tried and liked: Stouts: Left Hand Milk Stout (Colorado) Widmer's Milk Stout (Oregon) Wildcatter's Stout (Texas) Sheaf Stout (Australia) Old No. 9 Stout (Colorado) Porters: Sierra Nevada Porter (California) Left Hand Black Jack Porter Odell's Cutthroat Porter (Colorado) Porters are harder to find than stouts in my neck of the woods. Waterloo Brewing Company, now defunct, used to brew a fine porter, called O. Henry (after the author, who lived for a time in Austin, where the brewpub was). And Pete's used to brew a Maple Porter that was out of this world. A shame they dummied down. Anyway, if you run into any of these, I think they're right nice. Maybe you might, too. Good luck. This message was edited by Lang at 3/24/2005 3:05:38 PM.