HOPIQ SCORE
The Best British Porters
16 beers from 15 breweries · Ranked by style authenticity — not marketing
These rankings are dynamic. As more people rate, match and like beers on hopIQ, community signals will increasingly shape the results alongside style authenticity and award recognition.
Porter was invented in London in the early 18th century, dominated British brewing for over 150 years, and then almost disappeared. The style's origin has long been attributed to Ralph Harwood, a London brewer supposed to have blended three beers ("Three Threads") into a single beer around 1722 — a tradition that beer historians (notably Martyn Cornell) have argued is largely apocryphal, a 19th-century myth built onto the actual emergence of a new dark beer style in early-18th-century London commercial brewing. What is undisputed is that Porter became London's dominant beer style through the 18th and 19th centuries, was brewed at industrial scale by London great houses (Barclay Perkins, Truman, Whitbread, Fuller's), and then declined heavily through the 20th century until it was almost extinct in Britain by the 1970s.
The hopIQ ranking captures the modern British Porter revival, heavily concentrated in London. Fuller's London Porter (from the Chiswick brewery that survived through the porter dark years) anchors the traditional continuity. The Kernel Brewery Porter (Bermondsey — archive-recipe recreations from the great London porter houses), Partizan Brewing, Anspach & Hobday (The Porter, London Black), and Five Points Railway Porter build the modern London craft revival. Outside London: Titanic Brewery's Plum Porter (Staffordshire — a fruit-porter that became one of the most-awarded British porters of the past decade) and Elland 1872 Porter (West Yorkshire — brewed to an actual 1872 recipe, giving the beer its name) round out the ranking. British Porter is small but historically load-bearing.
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score weights style authenticity (80%), user engagement (10%), notability (10%), and award history. Active, in-production beers only — non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 16 beers from 15 breweries.
Top 5 of 16
Twelve DaysBest Overall#521 worldwide
ABV
5.5%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 28
Twelve Days is a strong dark porter that pours a deep red-brown, with the weight of a winter night. The malt backbone runs rich and full, carrying toasted grain and warming spice, with nutty tones that linger into the finish. Beneath sits…Twelve Days is a strong dark porter that pours a deep red-brown, with the weight of a winter night. The malt backbone runs rich and full, carrying toasted grain and warming spice, with nutty tones that linger into the finish. Beneath sits a sweetness of dried fruit and sultanas that keeps the beer from turning austere despite its strength. A porter for the late evening or the hour after dinner, when a beer needs substance rather than refreshment. Drink it slowly, at cellar temperature.
Fuller's London Porter#623 worldwide
ABV
5.4%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 41
Fuller's London Porter is a classic dark British porter brewed with a blend of roasted malts that deliver rich chocolate and coffee notes. This sessionable porter offers a smooth, well-balanced character with subtle sweetness and a dry…Fuller's London Porter is a classic dark British porter brewed with a blend of roasted malts that deliver rich chocolate and coffee notes. This sessionable porter offers a smooth, well-balanced character with subtle sweetness and a dry finish.
NITRO HOKUMBest Session#668 worldwide
ABV
4.4%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 32
Nitro Hokum is a nitro-served porter from DEYA Brewing Company, based in Cheltenham in the heart of the English Cotswolds. Poured on nitrogen, it settles into a deep, near-opaque mahogany-black with a smooth, creamy tan head that clings…Nitro Hokum is a nitro-served porter from DEYA Brewing Company, based in Cheltenham in the heart of the English Cotswolds. Poured on nitrogen, it settles into a deep, near-opaque mahogany-black with a smooth, creamy tan head that clings persistently to the glass. The aroma is gently inviting — roasted barley, dark chocolate, and a whisper of espresso, softened by the nitro dispense into something almost velvety. On the palate, the mouthfeel is silky and full, with restrained bitterness and layered notes of cocoa, mild coffee, and a subtle caramel sweetness. The finish is clean and quietly roasty, fading with satisfying smoothness. A sessionable, approachable porter that showcases the Cheltenham brewery's careful, considered craft.
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Porter#732 worldwide
ABV
4.8%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 32
Burning Sky Brewery's Porter, crafted at their rural East Sussex home in Firle, United Kingdom, revives the proud tradition of old-style running porter with contemporary British craft precision. It pours a deep black-ruby, with a tan head…Burning Sky Brewery's Porter, crafted at their rural East Sussex home in Firle, United Kingdom, revives the proud tradition of old-style running porter with contemporary British craft precision. It pours a deep black-ruby, with a tan head that settles gracefully. The aroma draws you in with rich chocolate malt and roasted grain, underscored by earthy, biscuity depth. On the palate, layers of dark chocolate and black malt unfold smoothly, balanced by a firm, well-structured bitterness that keeps things lively without turning harsh. The finish is clean and satisfyingly dry, with lingering roast character. Available seasonally in cask format, this is a Porter that honours its historical roots while showcasing the Sussex brewery's assured, restrained approach to dark beer.
5
Plum Porter
ABV
4.9%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 35
Titanic's best-selling beer and the one that made the brewery nationally famous. Adds natural plum flavouring to a beer darkened with dark crystal malt and hopped with English Pilgrim, Golding, German Herkules, and Slovenian Celeia. "One…Titanic's best-selling beer and the one that made the brewery nationally famous. Adds natural plum flavouring to a beer darkened with dark crystal malt and hopped with English Pilgrim, Golding, German Herkules, and Slovenian Celeia. "One must-try is the Plum Porter, which comes highly recommended." The ultimate expression of Stoke's brewing heritage.
Ranks 6–10
6
Railway Porter
Five Points' celebrated porter — named after the railway that runs past the brewery. "Rich and roasty with notes of dark chocolate and coffee, balanced with a smooth, easy-drinking finish." Available on cask. One of London's most loved…Five Points' celebrated porter — named after the railway that runs past the brewery. "Rich and roasty with notes of dark chocolate and coffee, balanced with a smooth, easy-drinking finish." Available on cask. One of London's most loved modern porters.
7
Enville Old Porter
Enville's dark flagship — a traditional English porter with roasted malt character. Brewed on the Victorian farm complex with the same farm borehole water used since 1993. Coffee, chocolate, and dark fruit notes with a smooth finish. Ranked here for style-fit against the Porter reference and award history in Porter-specific categories.
8
London Black
UK Beer of the Year 2025 — "London Black is the lifeblood of Anspach & Hobday." A nitro sessionable London Porter. "The resulting creaminess and smooth mouthfeel balance perfectly with the subtle roasted notes of coffee and chocolate."…UK Beer of the Year 2025 — "London Black is the lifeblood of Anspach & Hobday." A nitro sessionable London Porter. "The resulting creaminess and smooth mouthfeel balance perfectly with the subtle roasted notes of coffee and chocolate." Praised for its sessionability alongside amazing flavour and quality. A distillation of who they are as a brewery — reaffirming porter as the original beer of London.
9
The Kernel London Porter
"In a London Porter things are warm and dark and rich. Dried fruit — raisins, prunes and dates — and chocolate. Then a balanced espresso finish. Hints of leather, tar, tobacco." Brewed with brown malt (a distinctly London tradition) and…"In a London Porter things are warm and dark and rich. Dried fruit — raisins, prunes and dates — and chocolate. Then a balanced espresso finish. Hints of leather, tar, tobacco." Brewed with brown malt (a distinctly London tradition) and East Kent Goldings. First brewed February 2010. One of London's definitive craft dark beers.
10
Double Espresso Coffee Porter
A porter built on espresso intensity: coffee enters the brew at two distinct stages, sourced from Squarepeg and roasted by Clifton Coffee specifically for this beer. The result is smooth and rich across the palate, with a full body that…A porter built on espresso intensity: coffee enters the brew at two distinct stages, sourced from Squarepeg and roasted by Clifton Coffee specifically for this beer. The result is smooth and rich across the palate, with a full body that carries the coffee character without harshness. The dual-stage approach creates depth rather than a single sharp note — the first addition lays groundwork, the second sharpens the finish. At 6% ABV, it settles into the evening comfortably, substantial enough to stand alone but not so heavy it demands space. For anyone seeking coffee in a glass that doesn't shout, this is the quieter alternative.
The taste landscape
Of the 16 top beers, 16 lean malt-forward and 0 lean hop-forward.