h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I may well have been misinformed.....but, I had believed that it was called "Porter" because it was popular with the Covent Garden market porters, and was later named "Stout" by Arthur Guinness to promote its (largely fictional) health giving properties.

Of the stouts of the world I have tried 3 which are considered Irish (Guinness, Beamish and Murphys) and one which was Scottish (Gellespies) so what happened to the English porter/stout brewing industry?

BRING BACK GILLESPIES YOU %$£*^*@*!!!!!!!

*Much waving of fists in the general direction of S & N*

Do I take it that Gillespies has gone to the great drip tray in the sky then?
Must admit - I haven't seen it in a very long time

Ah the sub-style of dry Irish stout.
You can still get stouts from England, try something like Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Moorhouses' Cauldron Stout or even Marston's Oyster Stout.

These are just a small range of the avaliable beers, though you'll probably some of them in bottles rather than in a tap in a pub .

All that remains of Gillespies is a mirror in my (sadly ex) local. I think it is specifically there to mock me.

Might I point out that Beamish is in the North East of England (about 20 mins from where I live)! It's beers are fine but rather pricey.



Mike!

I seem to remember hearing a story about this - prior to one of the World Wars, there were a number of breweries producing stout. But then, during the conflict, and when rationing was introduced, the British Government decided to turn over production of stout to one brewery - Guinness. I've never been fully convinced of this story's veracity, but I've never heard any other explanation.

It just fell out of popularity. The porter style just didn't sell as much. Thankfully though the stout style was still going strong in Ireland, and after generations, it came back over and the Irish made it there own.

If in Dublin, do try out the range of porters brewed by the porterhouse brewing company. The food I had in their was excellent as well.
Made a very good change from just seeing Guinness everywhere.

Phil

Oh yes they're opening in Covent Garden, London, sometime soon as well.

They're open. Maiden Lane, Covent Garden I haven't been there myself yet, but I have been to the one in Dublin