Porters, a dark ale favored by London street and river porters, hence the name, was first developed in the early 1700s. It was relatively strong by modern standards (above 6% ABV) and the porters drank it to keep up their energy as they carried parcels on and off ships and throughout London’s streets.

The word “stout”, after the fourteenth century, had taken on as one of its meanings “strong”, and was used as such describe strong beers. “Stout” could be applied to any style, meaning it was not uncommon to see a “stout pale ale”. In 1820 Guinness began producing a stout porter. As time went on, “stout” came to apply only to porter and, eventually, the “porter” part of the name dropped off. Today, stouts are no longer stronger versions of porters but a style in their own right and, in fact, may have less alcohol than some porters.

Stout declined in popularity starting in the 1800s, partly due to the high cost and lower yield from brown malt as well as the introduction and adoption of pale ale. In fact, during World War II restrictions on the roasting of malt effectively killed English porter and stout production. It remained popular in places such as in Scotland and Ireland, but beyond those small pockets was unknown. That is, until Michael Jackson revived interest in it in the 1970s, including prompting revival of the extinct oatmeal stout.

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