Porter and Stout gravities 1805-2005

Sounds impressive, doesn't it, 200 years of data? I have a greater spread of years for Stout than for any other sort of beer.

These are the average gravities, based on the entries in my mega-gravity table.

First Porter:

1805-1899 1057.5 (29 samples)
1901-1917 1053.8 (6 samples)
1919-1929 1037.8 (38 samples)
1930-1939 1035.8 (8 samples)
2002-2005 1046.7 (22 samples)


Now Stout:

1805-1899 1077.8 (39 samples)
1901-1917 1074.5 (14 samples)
1919-1929 1055.5 (144 samples)
1930-1939 1046.9 (321 samples)
1940-1949 1042 (63 samples)
1950-1959 1043.3 (248 samples)
1960-1968 1046.8 (23 samples)
2002-2005 1047.8 (40 samples)

There's a simple explanation for the hole in the Porter figues. No Porter was brewed in Britain for several decades.

It's bizarre that there is currently almost no difference in the gravity of Porter and Stoyut. This could possibly be caused by a blurring of the distinction between the two types.

If your mind works better with pictures than numbers, here's the same information (plus Pale Ale and Mild) in a nice visual format.


May I point out the changing relative strengths over time? The only constant, is that Stout has always been the strongest. Mild, Bitter and Porter have swapped around the other positions. Few today would realise that Mild was once stronger than Bitter.

See. I am using this information it's taken so much effort to assemble.