History of Porter

LONDON PORTER

Porter has a rich history that traces back to 18th-century London, where it originated as a robust and flavorful dark ale. The name "Porter" is believed to have originated from its popularity among the working class, especially street and river porters (hence the name) who appreciated its hearty and rich qualities. As industrialization moved forward, Porter became one of the first beers to be brewed on a large scale, developing significant advancements in brewing technology (including the hydrometer and thermometer) and brewing practices.

The earliest Porters were characterized by their deep brown color through the utilization of brown malt then later transitioning to pale malt and the newly produced black-patent malt, additional complexity was achieved through the restrained use of unmalted roasted barley. Due to taxation on the amount of malt used, not the finished beer strength, pale malt added greater sugar extraction, requiring less malt be used for the same quantity of finished beer. Black-patent malt replaced the color and roast flavor, previously provided by brown malt.

London-brewed Porter was the first beer to be widely exported, reaching Ireland by the 1730s, North America and the Baltics by the 1740s, Northern Europe by the 1760s, and India around the same time.

In North America, the first successful Porter brewery was opened by Robert Hare, the son of a London Porter brewer, in Philadelphia in 1774, when he was only 22. His Porter swiftly became popular with leading Americans, including two future presidents, George Washington and John Adams.

Russia’s Empress Catherine II was very fond of the strongest form of Porter, known as Stout Porter, but she also ordered large amounts of London Porter to be supplied to her Baltic fleet in 1789. About the same time, an English merchant and entrepreneur, named Noah Cazalet, opened a brewery making Porter in St Petersburg, Russia. A variation to traditional Porter became known as “Baltic” Porter, produced by using German lager yeast, instead of the traditional English ale yeast.

Huge amounts of Porter were also being exported to India for the troops of the East India Company, who preferred Porter to Pale Ale (only the officers drank India Pale Ale [IPA]). Eventually breweries opened in India to supply porter to the troops, this porter was brewed in the Himalayan foothills, above 6,000 feet, where it was cool enough to brew without refrigeration.

By the mid-19th century, Porter had grown even more in popularity, with breweries across England producing nearly two million barrels (36 gallons each) of Porter for both local and export markets. Porters were produced in varying strengths, with alcohol by volume (ABV) starting around 5.5%.

However, as malting practices improved and tastes evolved, lighter beers like pale ales began to grow in popularity, and porter experienced a decline. By the 20th century, it had become a niche product, almost disappearing entirely. Fortunately, the craft beer revolution of the late 20th century revived interest in this wonderful and historic beer style, bringing it back, with renewed appreciation, for its bold and flavorful character. We are happy to be part of the continuance of this revolution.

THE GREAT LONDON BEER FLOOD

The Great London Beer Flood happened on October 17, 1814, killing eight people in the slum housing behind the Horse Shoe brewery on Tottenham Court Road. At 5:30 in the evening, a 128,000-imperial-gallon vat collapsed, after one of its giant iron hoops snapped. Falling staves from the collapsing vat broke open several others, releasing their contents and sending the flood of Porter into the street. More than 320,000 gallons of beer flooded the area (nearly 9,000 barrels). The eight people who died in the disaster were either drowned or crushed under falling masonry from surrounding buildings. The victims included: three children, four women, and a 14-year-old servant girl.

The flood reached George Street and New Street within minutes, swamping them with a tide of Porter. The 15-foot-high wave of beer and debris inundated the basements of two houses, causing them to collapse. In one of the houses, Mary Banfield and her daughter Hannah were enjoying afternoon tea when the flood hit, killing both, mother and daughter. In the basement of the other house, an Irish wake was being held for a 2-year-old boy who had died the previous day. The four mourners present that day, were also killed.

The Porter wave also took out the wall of the Tavistock Arms pub, trapping 14-year-old Eleanor Cooper in the rubble. Three brewery workers were rescued from the massive flood, and another was pulled alive from the rubble. As could be expected, all this ‘free’ beer led to hundreds of people scooping up the porter in whatever containers they could find. Some even resorted to just drinking it directly from the streets, sadly, this led to reports of the death of a ninth victim, some days later, from alcohol poisoning.

The brewery, which had been in existence since at least 1746, had been bought by Henry Meux, son of Richard Meux of the Griffin Brewery in Clerkenwell, in 1809. The vat that collapsed was one of the smaller vats of the 70 vats held inside the brewery. The largest of the vats, fortunately left intact, held 648,000 gallons (18,000 barrels) of porter, worth £40,000 then, and roughly £2.8 million today.

The brewery only survived by securing an Act of Parliament refunding the £7,250 in duty they had paid on the lost beer. The Horse Shoe brewery operated until 1921, when production moved to Nine Elms. The Dominion Theatre was built on the former brewery site in 1927 to 1928. The Dominion Theatre is still open today.

AMERICAN PORTER

When the Porter style arrived in America, it underwent notable transformations. While traditional English porters focused on subtlety and balance, American brewers embraced a more assertive approach, incorporating local ingredients and adapting the recipe to suit evolving palates. Some of these early changes included using American grown hops and adding molasses and spices.

Modern American Porters are often characterized by their bolder flavors, higher alcohol content, and the addition of innovative ingredients like coffee, chocolate, or smoked malts. The influence of the craft beer movement has been particularly profound in shaping American Porters, enabling brewers to experiment and push the boundaries of the style.

Many American porters feature a more pronounced hop bitterness compared to their English counterparts, reflecting the broader trend of hop-forward American beers. Today, ingredients such as vanilla, coconut, or spices are often added to introduce new dimensions of flavor. Some American Porters are aged in bourbon or whiskey barrels to develop complex flavor profiles with hints of oak, vanilla, cinnamon, extracted from American oak barrels, and the bourbon or whiskey that previously occupied the barrel.

The modern American porter has become a canvas for creativity, with craft-brewers constantly exploring new ways to innovate while honoring the traditional essence of the style.

IN THE DITCH PORTER

Brewing our In the Ditch Porter is a mix of art and science that starts with picking the right ingredients.

We start with Maris Otter, a British base malt, in order to retain an English character. Next, we layer in Chocolate Malt and Black Malt for color and bitter-sweet chocolate and slight coffee notes. In addition to the main cast of characters, a light hand of Crystal malt and Biscuit malt are added for complexity and our unique Porter character.

Next, we mix the crushed barley with hot water in a step called mashing, which turns starch into sugar. Minerals are added to boost the rich malt flavor and add a clean hop bitterness to balance the malt sweetness.

Next, the converted mash liquid is transferred to the boil kettle where we boil this liquid, called wort, for an extended period, until some of the sugars begin to caramelize. This process is known as a Maillard reaction. This produces an authentic caramel note, not found in all porters.

Hops are added throughout the boil process to add the bitterness and slight English character, through the use of English Fuggle hops. After boiling, we cool the wort and transfer to the fermenter, where we add English Ale yeast and begin the fermentation process, turning sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide over the following weeks. Due to the higher alcohol (7.7%), this could take up to a month to reach its final stage of fermentation.

Unlike many beers, which are ready to drink, after fermentation is complete, we follow traditional English brewing practices and let the Porter rest and age during the conditioning phase so the flavors can mature and come together. This can take from two to four months. We have found the Porter will let us know when it is ready. We never let a strict timetable drive the process.

Finally, we carbonate the Porter and transfer it to our serving tanks, for you to enjoy. We exercise a careful and meticulous process, but it is exactly how we get that classic, bold, dark ale flavor that beer lovers have enjoyed since porter first started back in 18th-century London. We hope to continue these long-held practices that have made this beer such an enjoyable experience, for so many Porter fans. If you have not tried, In the Ditch Porter, ask our bartenders for a taste, and decide for yourself.

Cheers,
Gary Ritz
Head Brewer