Guinness: A Dark Porter Beer With A Rich History

Is Guinness a porter or a stout? This question has sparked many debates, with some people arguing that Guinness is a stout and others claiming it is a porter. So, what is the correct answer?

Guinness Extra Stout was originally called Extra Superior Porter

In 1799, Arthur Guinness halted his brewery's production of paler ales to focus solely on porter. In about 1821, the brewery had perfected and printed their porter recipe, which is still the basis for the Guinness Original and Guinness Extra Stout. The recipe was set down by Arthur Guinness II, who provided precise instructions for brewing his Superior Porter.

The Guinness Extra Stout is the precursor to every Guinness innovation since. It is a direct descendant of the archival recipes, with the trademark Guinness flavours at its core. It is subtly fruity with warming, roasted notes of coffee and dark chocolate. It is dark ruby red with a frothy head, and a dry finish.

The Extra Stout was made more "drinkable" in the 1970s, with the gravity reduced and the brand relaunched in 1981. Pale malt was used for the first time, and isomerised hop extract was introduced. In 2014, two new porters were introduced: West Indies Porter and Dublin Porter.

Guinness is a dry stout

The first documented reference to a “stout beer” in 1677 actually referenced a strong beer rather than a dark one, as “stout” was a common synonym for “strong” or “brave”. The first iteration of the dark beer came about in a London pub where the barman mixed lighter, hoppy pale ales with darker, aged beers. The style of beer became popular with porters due to its distinctive flavour and higher alcohol content, which in turn made it slower to spoil than other styles of beer.

Arthur Guinness in Dublin took note of the dark beer’s explosive popularity and in 1799 halted his brewery’s production of all paler ales to focus solely on porter. In about 1821, the brewery had perfected and printed their porter recipe, which is still the basis for the Guinness Original and Guinness Extra Stout. The brewery’s porter became known colloquially as “plain” to differentiate it from the stronger brews and was a popular drink among Dublin’s working class.

In the early 20th century, milk stouts, named for the addition of lactose, became popular in the British Isles. Since beer yeast cannot ferment the dairy sugar into alcohol, milk stouts have a slightly sweeter finish, and were considered to be nutritious – so much so that doctors would prescribe them to nursing mothers to increase milk production. As these sweeter styles became popular in England, stouts without lactose became known as “dry” or “Irish” stouts, as they remained more popular on the other side of the Irish Sea. Guinness is far and away the most famous and popular version of this style of beer.

Guinness Draught is the original nitrogen-infused beer. Although it looks dark and heavy, it actually tastes deliciously light and smooth, swirling with notes of roasted barley, caramel, coffee and chocolate. It is a flavorful stout that’s as approachable as a lager. Guinness Draught has an ABV of 4.2%, a lower ABV than many stouts, which can easily have ABV percentages well above eight and even ten per cent.

Porters are bottom-fermented beers

The bottom fermentation process was discovered by a group of Bavarian monks who began storing their beer in icy caves. The wort attracted a cooler temperature yeast, which produced a different type of beer: lager. Bottom-fermented beers can only be brewed with a specific type of yeast, called Saccharomyces pastorianus, which was developed by Carlsberg's lab in the late 1800s.

Porter is a style of beer that was first brewed in London, England, in the early 18th century. The name is believed to have originated from its popularity with porters. It became the first beer style to be brewed around the world, with production in Ireland, North America, Sweden, and Russia by the end of the 18th century.

The history of stout and porter are closely connected. The name "stout" was originally used for strong porters, marketed as "stout porter", and later shortened to just "stout". Over time, the terms "stout" and "porter" became almost interchangeable, used by different breweries to describe dark beers.

Guinness, for example, is considered a porter, although it is often mistaken for a stout. The distinction lies in the brewing process, with stouts typically being fuller-bodied and having a more roasted flavour than porters.

Stouts came after porters as a stronger version

The history of stout and porter beers is closely intertwined. The first known use of the word "stout" for beer is in a document dated 1677 in the Egerton Manuscripts, referring to its strength. The word "stout" was used as a synonym for "strong" or "brave". Porter beers were brewed to a variety of strengths, and the stronger beers were called "stout porters".

Porter beer first appeared in the early 1700s and became a common beverage for workers in London. They were robust brown ales designed to be ready to drink upon delivery. The early London Porters were strong beers by modern standards, with traditionally around 6.5% ABV. The popularity of the style prompted brewers to release different Porters of varying characteristics and strengths.

The first of these was a strong brew christened the "Single Stout Porter". This appears to be the first time the word "stout" was used to describe a beer. Double, Triple, and Imperial Stout Porters soon followed. Over the following century, the "Porter" suffix was gradually dropped from these beers, and Porters and Stouts became standalone beers in their own right.

Stouts were originally stronger versions of Porters, and as such, the word "stout" was retained to describe these stronger beers. Stouts were also darker than Porters due to the use of unmalted and roasted barley, as opposed to the brown barley used in Porters. Over time, the term "stout" became associated specifically with dark beers, and the two styles diverged, with Stouts retaining their stronger reputation.

Porters are typically darker in colour than Guinness

Porters and stouts are often so similar that even the most knowledgeable beer connoisseurs have trouble distinguishing between the two in a blind taste test. Both are dark in colour and often impart flavours of coffee, chocolate, and nuts. However, porters are typically darker in colour than Guinness, which is a stout.

The name "stout", used for a dark beer, came about because strong porters were marketed as "stout porter", later being shortened to just stout. Guinness Extra Stout was originally called "Extra Superior Porter" and was not given the name "Extra Stout" until 1840.

The original porter was born in the 1700s, supposedly the result of blending old (as in stale or sour), new (brown ale), and mild beers so as to make something palatable. Modern English porters come in two styles: Brown and Robust. Brown Porter is more malty than hoppy, with flavours like bittersweet chocolate, caramel, or toffee, without any significant quantity of roasted barley. In a sense, a Brown Porter is a kind of heftier Brown Ale. Robust Porter, as the name suggests, is a bit more intense, thanks to the use of roasted and/or black patent malt, sometimes with accompanying substantial hops.

Baltic Porters blur the lines between porter and stouts. They are basically an English Porter that’s been fortified with higher alcohol content to withstand a journey across the Baltic Sea, where the style continued to evolve thanks in part to influence from the Russian Imperial Stout style. It’s a porter that can drink like a stout but without the dark/burnt porter flavour.

American Porters are inspired by English Porters and take the depth and complexity of the classic porter style to uncharted, craft-brewed territories. American brewers use smoked malts to play up the roasty depths of a Robust Porter with a “Smoke Porter” style, or meet (and surpass) the higher ABV of the Baltic Porter with the American Imperial Porter style that can hit 10% ABV and beyond.

So, while porters are typically darker in colour than Guinness, the distinction between porters and stouts is ambiguous at best and the two styles are becoming more and more challenging to distinguish as breweries experiment with different varieties of malt.

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