American Porter: A robust dark brown ale
Porter is a beer style with a long and storied history that stretches back as far as the early 1700s in London. Highly popular and widely exported in the early 1800s, it fell out of favor in the late 1800s before disappearing around the time of the Second World War. Guinness kept their version in Ireland until 1973, but it was later rediscovered in the modern craft era in both the U.K. and the U.S. The popularity of porter spawned several variations both historically (such as the stout family of styles, Baltic porter, pre-Prohibition porter) and in modern times (English and American porters, plus its use as a base style in experimental beers).
American porter is the style name given to a variation of porter typically found in the U.S. during the craft era. Sometimes called robust porter, it is often stronger, hoppier, and darker than its English cousin (or is it father?). While names like American porter and robust porter are given to these beers by beer geeks, commercial products are much more likely to just be called porter. We use the more precise names when differentiating beers for competition purposes.
American porter is style 20A in the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Beer Style Guidelines, grouped together with American stout and imperial stout in the American Porter and Stout style category. These beers of varying strength are grouped together due to their flavor profiles, most notably their roast-forward balance.
American Porter History
Entire books have been written about porter, so I won’t get into the rise of the original style in England. But, suffice to say that as the British brewing industry was impacted by wars, tax policy, and consumer demand, products in the marketplace caused gravities to be lowered in almost every style to the point where it was hard to differentiate between once dissimilar styles. Porter was basically crowded out by dry stout and dark mild.
In Michael Jackson’s New World Guide to Beer (1988), he laments that “the search for the authentic porter is almost [. . .] hopeless” and that it had “largely vanished between the two world wars.” He called it “the most elusive of styles” and a “fading recollection” and then explained how it led to dark beers being made around the world. Yet, in between editions of Jackson’s books (1977 and 1988), he added the note that it was revived in 1978–1979 at two British breweries at the peak of interest in real ale. In the original edition, he simply noted that it was no longer brewed in England or Ireland, and that it was “lost, though not forgotten.”
Sometimes called robust porter, it is often stronger, hoppier, and darker than its English cousin . . .
By 1997 in Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion, he writes that porter began to be made again in London in 1984 and 12 years later in Dublin. He also began to write about “scores of new-generation porters in the United States” (as a contrast to the older Yuengling Porter, an example of pre-Prohibition porter), and cites examples from Catamount, Sierra Nevada, Boulevard, Great Lakes, and Summit. He did not really separate the variations, just remarked how the style was reintroduced and was gaining in popularity with a new generation of brewers. At the time, Jackson was calling it plain porter to differentiate it from more historical versions.
Terry Foster, writing in the classic style series book Porter, said in 1992 that “many of the new American porters use aroma hops” and goes on to note how the American Homebrewers Association styles for competition differentiated between a robust porter that used black malt, a brown porter that used chocolate malt, and a dry stout that used roasted barley. While he said he preferred to think of the style as having a continuum of roasted flavors, he does pinpoint when the differentiation came into use.
Personally, I look at the introduction of Anchor Porter in 1974 as the start of porters in the modern craft era. Certainly the commercial beers cited by Jackson helped fuel the growth of the style, but I also think his influential writings had an impact on brewers on both sides of the Atlantic in rediscovering and redefining a once-dead style.
Sensory Profile
Historically, porter is a dark brown beer, not a black beer. In my mind, this is one aspect that helps differentiate it from stouts. When Jackson described them in 1988, he said beyond saying they were dark beers with a roasty palate, there was little agreement. Perhaps because he was trying to reconcile the various changes over time with a style that no longer existed. But clearly the style can be defined now by its modern examples.
American porter is a darker, stronger, hoppier version of a porter. It is malty, bitter, and somewhat hoppy but the hops are often balanced rather than prominent. Chocolate, caramel, and fruity flavors are often part of the profile, but the style is fairly broad and open to interpretation by brewers. In general, if a brewery offers both a porter and a stout, the porter will be lighter-bodied and lower-strength, but this comparison breaks down when considering products from different breweries. So, I tend to think of “something less than a stout” as an upper bound for the style.
The roast profile of the beer is moderate, with a chocolate character and sometimes a light coffee or burnt accent. The sweetness level and body can vary, but is usually restrained. Some fruity notes are welcome but as with many American ales, the fermentation profile can be neutral. The American impact on the style is the level of hopping, both in bitterness and in late hops. Bitterness can be balanced to prominent, but this character changes depending on the maltiness and sweetness of the beer. Late hops are variable, with low to high intensities possible.
If it seems I’m being wishy-washy on defining specifics, it’s because the style is broad. The beer is fairly well-balanced, but with a roasty accent. The roasted accents shouldn’t come across as acrid, burnt, sharp, or harsh. It generally isn’t sweet or full-bodied, but some supporting caramel or toffee notes are not out of place. The interplay of late hops and dark malts shouldn’t clash, particularly if it gives a citrusy or sour impression. The beer itself shouldn’t get too strong in alcohol or hops, or it may stray into the black IPA range.
Brewing Ingredients and Methods
Since the style is broad, the methods and ingredients can vary. However, the beer is traditionally a top-fermented, single-infusion beer made with British methods. The beer gets its American moniker primarily through the selection of American base malts, yeast, and hops, although hybrid American/English versions are possible.
The base malt is traditionally neutral, so a North American pale ale malt is most common. This will have a cleaner, less bready flavor than British pale ale malts. I think the more neutral base helps the darker malts come through more cleanly in the presentation. Speaking of which, any mix of chocolate malt, black malt, and roasted barley is fair game. Past guidance of “chocolate means brown porter, black means robust porter, and roasted barley means stout” are too simplistic. Blend a mix of dark malts and grains to get the finished profile you want. Crystal malts are often used to add residual sweetness, as well as caramel and dark fruit flavors. Just be careful about using too much since these grains can also give excessive body to the beer.
The bitterness level for this style can vary widely, but be careful about the combination of strongly bitter and strongly roasted, since this combination is typical of dry stouts. Late hops tend to be more traditional since modern versions often clash with dark malts. Terry Foster said traditionally that early craft versions used Northern Brewer, Goldings, Hallertauer, and Cascade. So I interpret that as saying that American, English, and German hops are all fine, as long as they don’t clash with the dark malt. Another way of looking at it is that the late hops don’t really define the style, so are open to interpretation by the brewer.
The yeast choice can be a neutral American ale strain or a somewhat fruity American or English strain. Prominent esters aren’t an objective, but having some in the mix is allowable. I think a neutral lager yeast could be used as well, although it certainly isn’t traditional. However, since this isn’t a yeast-driven style, I think you have a free choice in selecting something that doesn’t have a phenolic or overly identifiable character.
Homebrew Example
My example is in the style of Anchor Porter, in that it is a balanced but bitter version that isn’t high in alcohol. It retains the drinkability of the style, but also allows for some tweaking for personal preferences by the brewer.
I’m using a base of mostly North American 2-row malt with a little bit of Maris Otter to add a light breadiness. I want the base malt to be a clean flavor to allow the roast character to come through more. My choice of character malts reflects a British influence, and I prefer maltsters from the U.K. for my crystal, chocolate, and black malts. Personally, I like Crisp for the crystal malt and Fawcett for the chocolate malt because of the flavor profiles, but if you want to use crystal malt in the 60–80 °Lovibond range, you should get similar results. The type of chocolate malt should express a rich chocolate flavor without burnt notes. The black malt adds a roasty dryness, but note that I’m steeping the dark malts not mashing them, so that limits their harshness. I think in this style you want a little bit of that dark bite, but not too much.
A single-infusion mash is traditional, and I’ll go a little high so the beer won’t seem too thin, but this is largely because I’m not using any flaked adjuncts, dextrin malts, or other body builders. This is to keep the beer from seeming too stout-like. Note that I use my method of adding the crystal and dark malts at the end of the mash, and letting the recirculation during mash-out extract their color and flavor elements. Be sure to recirculate for at least 15 minutes and then sparge to extract their goodness. If you use another method of mashing and sparging, get at least 30 minutes of contact time with these grains.
The bitterness level is at the higher side, which also means that this beer should keep for awhile. Not everyone likes this bitterness level, so I have also brewed a similar recipe with IBUs in the high 20s for a more immediately drinkable beer for a wider audience. I’m using Northern Brewer hops as an homage to Anchor, and you can also go for a single-hop beer by using these same hops as your late hops. I add some Cascade and Sterling (Saaz-like) for interest as an aroma hop in the whirlpool (knockout additions) so I’m not really looking for flavor from these hops. You could also use those hops as dry hops instead, which will give a fresher hop experience.
The fermentation is with the ale strain from Anchor Brewing, which I use in a wide range of beers including IPAs. It gives a mostly clean but lightly fruity note that I think complements the style. The water treatment uses calcium chloride, which gives a softer finish. I try to avoid sharper sulfates that I think can accentuate the darker malts in a more negative way. The beer weighs in at 5.8% ABV, so it should be an above average strength but not to the point where you are getting noticeable alcohol.
Porter is meant as an everyday working-class beer, so it shouldn’t seem like an extravagant or elaborate winter seasonal beer. Retaining the balance and drinkability while getting the delicious roasty flavors is the key to the style, with the American version also requiring the hops to not get out of balance. As this beer becomes harder to find in modern breweries, it’s a great style for a homebrewer to embrace.
American Porter by the Numbers
OG: 1.050–1.070
FG: 1.012–1.018
SRM: 22–40
IBU: 25–50
ABV: 4.8–6.5%
American Porter
(5 gallons/19 L, all-grain)
OG = 1.058 FG = 1.014
IBU = 39 SRM = 41 ABV = 5.8%
Ingredients
9 lbs. (4.1 kg) U.S. 2-row pale malt
1 lb. (454 g) Maris Otter pale ale malt
1 lb. (454 g) U.K. crystal 77 malt
1 lb. (454 g) U.K. chocolate malt
6 oz. (170 g) U.K. black malt
8 AAU Northern Brewer hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 8% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Northern Brewer hops (5 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Sterling hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II), White Labs WLP051 (California V), or Mangrove Jack’s M36 (Liberty Bell Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Make a 1 qt./1 L starter ahead of time if using a liquid yeast strain. This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. of calcium chloride to the mash.
This recipe uses an infusion mash. Use enough water to have a moderately thick mash (~1.5 qts./lb.). Mash in the pale malts at 154 °F (68 °C) and hold for 60 minutes. Add the crystal malt and the two dark grains, stir, begin recirculating. Raise the mash temperature to 169 °F (76 °C) for mashout and recirculate for 15 minutes.
Sparge slowly and collect 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of wort. Bring wort up to a boil and boil for a total of 90 minutes, adding hops at the times indicated in the recipe.
Chill the wort to 66 °F (19 °C), pitch the yeast, and aerate if using a liquid strain. Ferment at 66–68 °F (19–20 °C) until complete.
Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.4 v/v.
American Porter
(5 gallons/19 L, extract with grains)
OG = 1.058 FG = 1.014
IBU = 39 SRM = 41 ABV = 5.8%
Ingredients
6.6 lbs. (3 kg) light liquid malt extract
1 lb. (454 g) U.K. crystal 77 malt
1 lb. (454 g) U.K. chocolate malt
6 oz. (170 g) U.K. black malt
8 AAU Northern Brewer hops (60 min.) (1 oz./28 g at 8% alpha acids)
1 oz. (28 g) Northern Brewer hops (5 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Cascade hops (0 min.)
0.5 oz. (14 g) Sterling hops (0 min.)
Wyeast 1272 (American Ale II), White Labs WLP051 (California V), or Mangrove Jack’s M36 (Liberty Bell Ale) yeast
3⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
Step by Step
Make a 1 qt./1 L starter ahead of time if using a liquid yeast strain. Start off with 6.5 gallons (24.5 L) of water (reverse osmosis if possible) in the brew kettle; heat to 158 °F (70 °C).
Turn off the heat. Add the crystal malt and two dark grains in a mesh bag and steep for 30 minutes. Remove and rinse grains gently. Allow the liquid to drip back into the kettle.
Add the malt extract and stir thoroughly to dissolve completely making sure no clumps are at the bottom. Turn the heat back on and bring to a boil.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the first hops at the beginning of the boil, the second addition with 5 minutes remaining, the final addition after turning off the heat.
Chill the wort to 66 °F (19 °C), pitch the yeast, and aerate if using a liquid strain. Ferment at 66–68 °F (19–20 °C) until complete.
Rack the beer, prime and bottle condition, or keg and force carbonate to 2.4 v/v.
