When it’s cold outside, I drink coffee, but when the cold won’t go away, I want something robust and tasty that will warm my soul without being hot. That my friend is a porter. I know, you don’t like dark beers. That is likely because you tasted a Guiness one time and hated everything about it. When it comes to beer, there are an abundance of styles and taste profiles and not every beer is for every person. But if you are still drinking Butt light out of an 18 pack because that is what you like, maybe it’s time to try something new, and don’t worry, your chin hair will eventually form a beard. 

I could go into a long scientific exploration of what the difference is between a porter and a stout or why your triple IPA tastes like a bitter pinecone. Instead I’m just going to give you some base knowledge and some options that you can try for yourself. Let’s start with some basic understanding. The porter goes way back to 18th century London as the dark, hearty ale named after the “porters” (dock and street workers) who loved drinking it after a hard shift. Let’s face it, it was cold, hard work and they needed a stiff solution before heading home to candle lit dinner and eight kids in a one bedroom shack. Stouts were an evolution of the porter, literally Strong porter because it was darker and heavier. The other differentiator is Porter’s use of malted barley versus the unmalted barley of stouts. This makes the Porter smoother and lighter feeling than Stouts that generally are more intense and heavy. Which leads us to today, you see a lot of Stouts on brewery menus which are typically heavy and high alcohol and a lot of them are incredibly sweet which makes them not the most approachable beer. Porters on the other hand are still dark, but come in typically under 6% with a smooth taste and most are a lot less sweet. 

Well, now that we are finished with the history and science, where can you give one a go? Luckily, I have scoured the OKC area for these remarkable beers that will warm your soul, and here is a list. Now, take into mind that breweries tend to switch things up as the year and weather changes and these aren’t all available all the time, and there could be beers that I missed, so please let me know, because I want to try them. 

American Solera– Howdy Porter 6.8%- Vanilla Bean Porter with Lactose giving it a rich smooth flavor and this is something that American Solera tends to do better than most. 

Angry Scotsman has a couple worth checking out Left Luggage 6.3% American style porter which is sweet with notes of Chocolate and a roasty flavor then they have the Black Friday coming in at 8.5% with a smoother finish more like a lager in feel because of the fermentation. 

Coop Ale Works Gran Sport Porter 6% and this one is like the grandad of the Oklahoma Porters as it was one of the foundational beers when Coop launched in 2009. 

Roughtail Brewing Migrating Coconuts 8.1% Imperial Porter. This one is probably the sweetest one on the list, but that toasted coconut hits just right and the branding is on point. 

Stonecloud Brewing Sweater Weather 4.8%. This one is not technically a porter, but feels and tastes very porteresque. So I will give it to them, you know when it quacks and walks. Don’t let the eggnog coffee turn you off, this beer is just flat out delicious.