Welcome to Ale Academy (and Lagers, Too)! In this Intro to Beer Styles course, each comic-ale lesson will introduce a type of beer along with exemplary bottles, plus splashes of history mixed in. Class is taught by the illustrious (and fictional) Dr. Janine D. Clerk, who is the newest head of academic learning at the academy. She’s also a distant relative of the famous Belgian brewing scientist Jean De Clerck. Now that you’re up to speed, it’s time to learn about beer! In this lesson, we’ll explore the English porter style.

Today’s Style: English Porter

Dating back to the 18th century, porter was created in London — hence its English modifier — and was the first known beer style to be mass-produced. Its name comes from the delivery workers who carried goods to the market with whom the beer was very popular. Originally made with brown malt, modern English porters are now made with a combination of pale and black malts.

English porters have aromas and flavors of caramel, toast, coffee, and chocolate.

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English Porters to Try:

Samuel Smith Taddy Porter
Fuller’s London Porter
Boulevard Bully! Porter

English Porter

Comic featuring history of English Porter, flavor profile, ingredients, brands

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