Porter Vs Stout Beer: The Difference You Should Know

There are tons of different styles of beer out there, but if you like bold flavors, porters and stouts are particularly great selections. These dark beers tend to have notes of anise, coffee, and chocolate and a rich, dark color. They're also great for cooking and baking, whether you make some tasty chocolate stout mini cakes or use one of these brews in a meat marinade.

Despite these similarities, however, a few things set these beers apart from each other. The key difference between porter and stout beers is that the former is usually made using malted barley while stouts use unmalted.

While this might not sound like a huge deal, it actually affects several different aspects of the brews. For one thing, you'll notice that while both are dark beers, there are slight color differences. At the same time, the way the beers are made leads to different tasting notes and undertones when you're enjoying each.

To really understand how the barley used in your beer affects it, you've first got to understand what it means when it's malted. Malting is the process of allowing the grains to germinate. Porters, which use malted barley, end up with sweet, chocolatey notes. They also tend to be very smooth. On the other hand, stouts don't get those malted sweet flavors and instead have a more toasted taste with notes of coffee.

In addition to these flavor differences, you may notice that your brews look slightly different. Sure, both are dark beers, but porters tend to be lighter in color and not as thick as stouts. The latter tend to be more full-bodied on the tongue, too.

Another factor you might be wondering about is how the alcohol content is tied to your beer's color and flavor. As it happens, the brew's color and ABV aren't connected. Still, porters are generally associated with having a lower alcohol percentage than stouts, although that's not to say that's always the case.

If you love darker brews, you may also be familiar with dark lagers, such as the Stella Artois Midnight Lager. So, how do these brews compare to porters and stouts? For starters, dark lagers are lagers, as you can guess from the name. On the other hand, both porters and stouts are ales. This means they undergo a slightly different brewing process and use different yeast strains to produce them.

Dark lagers also differ in that they aren't as full-bodied as these two beers. They have more hoppy, bitter flavors and a lighter taste. However, the roasted malts in them give them a dark appearance and bring out some of those rich, toasty flavors that you'll get with stouts and porters. So, although these three types of dark beers might seem fairly similar at first sip, they have subtle nuances that give each one its unique touch.