Even the most experienced beer connaisseurs find it difficult to point out the differences between Porter and Stout. To be honest, these styles are very similar and there is a big overlap. Lets dive into history to find out more.
A forgotten technique
Porter has been around since the 1700’s. It was a made with mainly brown malt. These were made with a somewhat forgotten technique that didn’t roast the malt, but kilned it to a darker colour. Because this didn’t affect the diastatic power (converting starch into sugar) it could be used up to 100%.
Nowadays most Porters are made with roasted malts, with colours up to 1000 EBC. Because these malts have little to no diastatic power, you will need a base malt – like Ale, Lager or Munich – for conversion of the sugars. Many recipes also add caramel or Chrystal malts for flavour.
No exact science
Stout is connected to Porter, but is usually a little heavier in alcohol, ingredients and color. The original term Stout Porter refers to that fact. The beer was first brewed in London in the first half of the twentieth century. Porters generally have a range of chocolate, coffee and caramel flavours, while Stouts sport a the more roasty, coffee qualities.
This isn’t an exact science though. Many Porters are using dark roasted malts that go up to 1400 EBC, while some of the biggest Stout producers use roasted (unmalted) barley. So it’s really up to the brewer to decide what route to take. If you want to brew an authentic, historic Porter, you should try our Platinum Swaen Brown Porter.