Porter style beer, or simply porter, has many broad interpretations although there are more similarities than differences in the beer style. Read on and discover the characteristics of porters and, in so doing, learn how to make the beer.

Characteristics of Porters:
The brew's colour ranges from dark brown to black in an almost opaque manner, said colour of which comes from the use of either black or chocolate malts in the top-fermented beer. Despite its dark coloration, light must still shine through the brew.

The nose typically contains delicate aromas of toffee, chocolate and roasted grains with many brews containing undertones of licorice and coffee. The mouth-feel is thin without being watery - good beer is never watery, after all. The flavours are mild and yet distinctive with spicy, chocolaty and malty as the main tastes, which are then underlined by a slight sweetness.

It should be noted that porter beer is often compared to and confused with stouts especially among novices in the world of beers. Porters usually have lower alcohol contents, lighter bodies and sweeter flavours than stouts, not to mention that porters have higher malt content than stouts as well.

With the above mentioned characteristics in mind, you can easily follow the process for brewing porters. Just remember that porters are top-fermented brews so the steps will follow the general process used in making said brews.

Steps in Brewing Porters:

A basic 5-gallon, all-grain porter beer recipe will require:
6 pounds of 2-row malt
.25 pounds of black malt
.50 pounds of roasted malt
10 ounces of chocolate malt
.75 pounds of caramel malt
.75 pounds of dextrin
2.1 ounces of hops
8.5% alpha acid divided into 1.5 ounces for 60 minutes and then.6 ounces at the end of boil

Fruity ale yeast, according to taste
Mash all the 5 malts along with the dextrin for an hour at 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle the mixture with 6 gallons of distilled water and then add 1.5 ounces of the hops before boiling for 60 minutes. Turn off the heat and then add the remaining .6 ounces of hops. Cool the mixture, pitch the yeast and then ferment it for 7-10 days at 63 degrees Fahrenheit. Bottle the resulting porter beer in the usual manner.

It is also possible to experiment with the above mentioned recipe. Use 6.6 pounds of liquid malt extract; 6 ounces of black malt; 10 ounces of roasted malt; 14 ounces of chocolate malt; and 1 pound of caramel malt.

Steep the grains for 30 minutes at temperatures of 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the grain bag, add the extract and then boil for 60 minutes. The next steps starting from the addition of the hops are the same as in the above mentioned porter. The resulting beer has a delicate and delicious balance of caramel, roast and chocolate malts with a full-flavoured body.

The great thing about making your own porter is the opportunity to experiment with the basic recipe. Spices can be added to the porter to make a spicy beer while maple syrup makes for a great maple porter. Other possible additions are bayberry, cassia, cinnamon, coffee, honey and mint.
And when you have your own porter beer, you can pair it with a wide variety of food especially meat dishes. Now, that's what we call a great beer for all seasons!