According to the BJCP this style is “A malty, bitter, and often somewhat hoppy dark beer with a balanced, roasted, and frequently chocolatey character.” Usually somewhere between 5-6.5% abv, but us Americans being Americans, it can go higher often. There is a distinct difference between it and a stout. I am of the belief that the stout has a more pronounced roast character. Where the chocolate character is more a sign of the porter. Appearance wise while it’s a dark beer held to a light often will reveal a ruby character.

If you’re interested in learning more about Porter I’d recommend the book Porter and especially for homebrewers I’d recommend Ray Daniel’s Designing Great Beers, he has some great information.

Styles Examples

Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co, Leather Jacket American Porter, 6.5% abv

Appearance is black with barest hint of ruby on edges, foam of a deep dark tan bordering on brown. Roast aroma dominates with only a hint of chocolate. Tastes of rich malt character, but not a harsh bitterness, and a dry finish.

Incendiary Brewing Co, Cerberus Nocturne Vanilla Porter, 5.6% abv

Apprearance black with just an occasional hint of ruby at edge. Aroma of light tart that fades into vanilla, no roast character. Strong vanilla flavor over powers roast and chocolate character, dry finish. Post tasting note: On both Untappd and Incendiary’s website it describes this beer as an English Porter, which explains why the roast/chocolate character isn’t as strong.

Great Lakes Brewing Co, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, 6.0%

Appearance is dark rudy hue with a rich tan foam. Aroma roasty nose with a hint of chocolate. Tastes of malt sweetness with a pronounced bitterness, finishes with mild sweetness. As it warmed it became a more uniform malt character. 

Check back next Wednesday for another style with some local options.