Porter & Stout

"Porter and stout are top-fermented beers, which is why they belong to the ales family. Both styles use roasted malts, and often also smoked malts, as in smoked beers."

The Porter beer style was developed in the 18th century and originated in England. During the Industrial Revolution, people with physically demanding jobs needed a quick energy boost – and thus, Porter was born. The name "Porter" means "porter," highlighting the beer's roots. Porter ranges in color from dark brown to black and is characterized by caramel and sweet flavor notes. It has an alcohol content of approximately 4.5-6.3% and a low carbonation level (low effervescence).

The stout beer style (from the English word meaning "strong") originated from the porter beer style in the 19th century. The two styles are very closely related. A stout's color ranges from black to jet black, and it has an alcohol content of 7-12%. Like porter, this strong beer has caramel and sweet aromas. From the original stout, further subcategories have developed, such as Irish stout, American stout, Imperial stout, Milk stout, Dry stout, Chocolate stout, Coffee stout, Oatmeal stout, etc. Braised roasts pair perfectly with a dark stout.

Stouts and porters are difficult to distinguish from one another these days. Both belong to the strong beer category. The most significant difference is this: the malt used in porters is malted grain (the grain is germinated, then the germination process is interrupted and the grain is dried), whereas stouts are brewed with unmalted grain (the grain is milled and used without germination). Hops play a rather minor role in both, as the malt, with its sweet, caramel notes, takes center stage.