Cold Porter - Night and Day - A Drink for All Seasons
By Jack Wilson

Porter is a centuries-old drink, an ale made with highly dried malt, nearly burned, and naturally carbonated. It was named porter after the dock workers who loaded and unloaded ships and used it to slake their labor intensified thirst at a cost they could afford.

Porters are red-brown to black in color, medium to medium-full bodied, and characterized by a flavor profile that can vary from very subtle dark malts to fully roasted, smoky flavors. Being a centuries old style, there are differences of opinion with regard to what a "true" porter was actually like and there can be wide variations from one brewer's interpretation to the next. Roasted malt should provide the flavoring character, rather than roasted barley as is used with stouts. Stronger, darker versions and lighter more delicate versions are equally valid manifestations of the style. The influence of hops can often be notable in the richer craft brewed examples of the style.

It was particularly to be found in London and other parts of England, and in Ireland, especially in the city of Dublin where it was drunk by the many and called, among other things, “plain”. The drink is mentioned often in the writings of James Joyce, especially in Dubliners and Ulysses. It comes up naturally enough in Finnegans Wake since it is set pretty much in a pub, but it is not always easy to know what is going on in that chronicle. The reader is advised not to drink too much porter while reading Finnegans Wake, although a case could be made for that approach.