Editing Stout (section)

==History==
[[File:Beamish-Stout,-1919-.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|[[Beamish and Crawford|Beamish]] advertisement, 1919]]
[[Porter (beer)|Porter]] originated in London, England in the early 1720s.<ref>Bamforth, Charles (2009). ''Beer: Tap into the Art and Science of Brewing''. Oxford University Press. p. 65. {{ISBN|978-0195305425}}</ref> The beer became popular in the city, especially with porters (hence its name): it had a strong flavour, took longer to [[Food spoilage|spoil]] than other beers, was significantly cheaper than other beers, and was not easily affected by heat.<ref>Unger, Richard W. (2004). ''Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance''. University of Pennsylvania Press, p. 244. {{ISBN|978-0812237955}}</ref><ref name="dictionary">Bender, David A. (2009). ''A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0199234875}}</ref> Within a few decades, porter breweries in London had grown "beyond any previously known scale".<ref name="dictionary"/> Large volumes were exported to Ireland and by 1776 it was being brewed by [[Arthur Guinness]] at his [[St. James's Gate Brewery]].<ref name=Garrett>Oliver, Garrett (2011). ''The Oxford Companion to Beer''. Oxford University Press, p. 492. {{ISBN|978-0195367133}}</ref> In the 19th century, the beer gained its customary black colour through the use of [[Black patent malt#Black malt|black patent malt]], and became stronger in flavour.<ref name="camra"/>

Originally the adjective ''stout'' meant "proud" or "brave", but after the 14th century it took on the connotation of "strong".  The first known use of the word ''stout'' for beer was in a document dated 1677 found in the [[Francis Egerton, 8th Earl of Bridgewater|Egerton]] Manuscript,<ref name="Lewis2017">{{cite book|last=Lewis|first=Michael|year=2017|publisher=Brewers Publications|title=Stout (Classic Beer Style)|isbn=9781938469435|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FqYoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1}}</ref> the sense being that a stout beer was a strong beer. The expression ''stout porter'' was applied during the 18th century to strong versions of porter. ''Stout'' still meant only "strong" and it could be related to any kind of beer, as long as it was strong: in the UK it was possible to find "stout pale ale", for example. Later, ''stout'' was eventually to be associated only with porter, becoming a synonym of dark beer.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Because of the huge popularity of porters, brewers made them in a variety of strengths. The beers with higher gravities were called "Stout Porters".  There is still division and debate on whether stouts should be a separate style from porter. Usually the only deciding factor is strength.<ref>{{cite web|title=So what IS the difference between porter and stout?|url=http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/so-what-is-the-difference-between-porter-and-stout/|access-date=20 July 2018|last=Cornell|first=Martyn|date=19 March 2009|website=Zythophile.wordpress.com}}</ref>

"Nourishing" and sweet "milk" stouts became popular in Great Britain in the years following the [[First World War]], though their popularity declined towards the end of the 20th century, apart from pockets of local interest such as in Glasgow with Sweetheart Stout.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Beer writer [[Michael Jackson (writer)|Michael Jackson]] wrote about stouts and porters in the 1970s, but in the mid 1980s a survey by ''What's Brewing'' found just 29 brewers in the UK and Channel Islands still making stout, most of them milk stouts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/endangered-beers/ |title=Endangered beers &#124; Zythophile |website=Zythophile.wordpress.com |date=22 May 2012 |access-date=15 August 2012}}</ref> In the 21st century, stout is making a comeback with a new generation of drinkers, thanks to new products from burgeoning [[microbrewery|craft and regional brewers]].<ref>Smithers, Rebecca (2012). [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/apr/23/british-drinkers-toast-stout-revival "British drinkers toast stout revival". 23 April 2012.] ''[[The Guardian]]''.</ref>