Most beer historians believe that the rich, dark ale called porter got its name from the hard-working porters of the London shipyards in the19th century. This was the porter’s drink, to provide refreshing nourishment and energy in order to do what had to be done. The origins of porter are older than its name, going back to the early 18th century. The ale was originally a concoction of stale brown ale, strong-brown ale and a lighter stock ale, hence its original name of the three threads (it was also sometimes called — entire — Intire Butt. If beer is the drink of the common-man, porter was the drink of the working-man.

London brown porterbecame the first mass-produced beer. There are many stories about the enormously large wooden vats that were built for mass production. Many of the vats were bigger than the largest stainless-steel vats used in today’s macro breweries. One story tells of a large banquet that was held inside one of the huge vats to serve as its “christening party”. One very unfortunate testament to the enormity of the vessels is the time when some of them ruptured, flooding the surrounding neighborhood and drowning several people. What a way to go! …

Porter all but died out in Britain by the 1970’s; falling victim to its off-shoot and rival, stout and also to golden, transparent pilsener type lagers. You can thank American craft brewers for reviving the porter style. Though dark and rich, most American versions are much more hopped up. Robust porter is the style most often brewed here in the states. Darker malts add a certain dry, burnt toast character that works when balanced with the sweeter crystal malts that are the mainstay of the British version. Our affinity toward going extreme on almost everything has pushed some porter past robust, ushering in imperial porter.

In general porter is a dark ale. Some examples are opaque and others are translucent, with a beautiful garnet hue. English versions are usually tamely balanced. They are slightly malty-sweet, but with a dry finish. The hops are there for balance in a supporting role. American versions are usually bigger, hoppier and darker.

A few good bottled porter beers can be found in the Charleston area. (I do not know of any on tap locally.) My old stand-by is Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald. This is a well-crafted robust porter. The complex flavors of toast, chocolate and a hint of coffee balance well with its fairly forward hop flavor. It goes great with damn near anything containing dark chocolate. Another great beer, but harder to find, is Anchor Porter. This beer delivers robust complexity along with wonderful raisin flavors.

The best place to taste a real English porter would be at Blues BBQ, across from the Clay Center, at the corner of Leon Sullivan Way and Lee Street. They serve Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter in good condition. They keep the clear bottles away from sun and fluorescent lighting, which helps them from becoming “skunked”. Samuel Smith’s Taddy defines what it means to be English. The beer finishes very dry, just after an intense assault of dark maltiness. The “Samuel Smith” signature is left by a slight green apple flavor via (acetalaldehyde).

Sierra Nevada Porter is a well-crafted ale that would fall into the ‘less-than-robust’ category. Sierra has the hops, and the balance swings that way. Not as complex as the previous porters. On the creative side there is Rogue Mocha Porter. If you miss the cocoa flavor in this one, give up and go back to Coor’s light! Your taste buds are dead…

Porter is best tasted at 50 to 55 degrees. The traditional serving glass is the standard pint tumbler. American porters usually come with a complex toasty, maybe even burnt, dry character. Chocolate and coffee flavors are common. This style pairs well with grilled meat dishes yet goes especially well with chocolate desserts. Mexican Mole sauces really harmonize with this beer.

Porter holds a special place in beer history. It was the first mass-produced beer and the first workingman’s beer. Heck, maybe you’ll even be able to muster up the energy to clean out the garage after you quaff down a couple!

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