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| Porter: The Three Threads Ale by Rich Rabassa
What is that mysterious dark ale known as Porter? Is a Brown ale? Is a Stout? Well in actuality its both and neither, with a toss of a third... In the alehouses and taverns of London of the early 18th Century, a beer mixture called "Three Threads" was born. During this time period, mixing drinks was all the rage and beer, or course, was not to be left out. This mixed beer drink was commonly created by mixing three equal parts of ale, beer, and a strong beer referred to as "twopenny" (twopenny derived its name from its cost; twopence a quart). An alternate name for this mixture was "Entire". This was in reference to a beer drawn from all three kegs typically available at the local pub. A beer from the entire inventory of beers. Although the mixture was immensely popular, pub owners and brewers were a bit weary of continually mixing. Ralph Harwood saw an opportunity, and is recognized as first brewer of the Porter style during 1722. Harwood took it upon himself to concoct the style that would replicate the traits of "Entire" in one keg. Harwood's Entire was highly hopped, strong, and dark. It was brewed with soft rather than hard water.
"When treading London's well-known ground This style of beer became so popular that its impact was even felt across the Atlantic and became one of George Washington's favorites. Thanks to the revival of beers arcoess the world, Porters are once again popular and widely available. A great compliment with with red meats (hence the name Porter House steak) and with heavier desserts such as chocolate torts and english puddings. American Hombrewer’s Association Style Guidelines for Porters:
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| Some HBA Porter Recipe Recommendations: Click on item to order!
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| Recommended Reading:
Reviewer: A reader from Princeton, New Jersey July 23, 1998 There's a chapter title herein that well might subtitle the whole book. It's "Literary Drinking," which is precisely what readers will do regardless of whether they actually imbibe while perusing. For either they'll be drinking while literarily engaged, or they'll be taking delicious sips from the literature of brews and spirits. Dunkling, under the imprimatur of the world's most famous brewer (whose brew has, during the last 10 years or so, at last come to rival in ubiquity its namesake record books, begun, so the story goes, to settle barroom bets), has wrapped the history of drinking alcoholic beverages and the processes of making beer, wine, and spirits around glorious gobbets from such masters of bibulous writing as Dickens and Steinbeck and Dickens and Shakespeare and Dickens and Hardy and Dickens and Dr. Johnson and Dickens and others and Dickens. What's more, the continuous texts of the chapters are frequently interrupted by sidebars full of pictures and historical tidbits and amusing little quizzes and statistics about various national consumptions of various liquors and more quotables about potables. Good to the last drop--er, page. Ray Olson |
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