PORTER, a kind of malt liquor which came into use in London in 1722. According to Leigh, " the malt liquors previously in use were ale, beer, and twopenny, and it was. customary to call for a pint or tankard of half-and-half—i.e., half of ale and half of beer, half of ale and half of twopenny, or half of beer and half of twopenny. In the course of time it also became the practice to ask for a pint or tankard of three-thirds [or, as it became corrupted, three threads], meaning a third each of ale, beer, and two- penny; and thus the publican was obliged to go to three casks for a single pint of liquor. To avoid this. trouble and waste, a brewer of the name of Harwood conceived the idea of making a liquor which should partake of the united flavors of ale, beer, and twopenny. He did so, and succeeded, calling it entire, or entire butt beer, meaning that it was drawn entirely from one cask or butt; and being a hearty nourishing liquor, it was very suitable for porters and other working people. Hence it obtained the name of porter,
and was first retailed at the Blue Last, Curtain Road, Shoreditch." The chief charac teristics of porter are its dark-brown color, peculiar bitter flavor, and agreeable freshness in drinking. Until within the last twenty years it was generally brewed with malt roasted until slightly brown; now, however, under the improved system of brewing, pale malt, with the addition of some highly roasted, for the sake of color only, is used. Enormous quantities are brewed by the London brewers. A kind much stronger than ordinary,porter is also extensively brewed in London. Dublin, and elsewhere, under the name of stout. The name porter is now seldom used in England, beer being the general designation.