Porter is London's original beer style — the dark, roasty ale that fuelled the city's dockworkers before Stout existed as a separate category. It nearly vanished in the mid-20th century before American craft brewing revived it as American Porter, and today the style is produced worldwide. The hopIQ Score evaluates porters on roast character, body, and the bittersweet malt finish that defines the style across its sub-types.
Currently leading the ranking: Dusk Til Dawn (Pizza Port Brewing Company), Prince of Denmark (Harvey's Brewery) and Surtr (Wacken Brauerei).
How this ranking works
The hopIQ Score judges every beer against its style first: it rewards medals from competitions that judge within style categories and deducts points where a beer measurably deviates from its style reference. Community ratings add to that. Non-alcoholic excluded. No paid placement — order follows the data alone. Ranking spans 355 beers from 279 breweries.
Top 5 of 23
ABV
10.5%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
dark 28
Dusk Til Dawn is the imperial coffee porter of Pizza Port's San Clemente brewpub, a nod to the graveyard shift and to late-night vampire films. It is brewed with hand-roasted coffee beans from a local roaster, and the coffee aroma rises as…Dusk Til Dawn is the imperial coffee porter of Pizza Port's San Clemente brewpub, a nod to the graveyard shift and to late-night vampire films. It is brewed with hand-roasted coffee beans from a local roaster, and the coffee aroma rises as soon as the beer is poured. Fresh-ground coffee leads, backed by dark chocolate, roasted grain and a light caramel sweetness from the malt. The body is full, and the high strength shows as warmth under a long, roasty finish.
Prince of Denmark#45 worldwide
ABV
7.5%
Bitterness
Strongly bitter
Colour
dark 28
A strong, black beer at 7.5% based on eighteenth-century recipes, with brown, amber and black malts mixed into pale ale malt. The nose brings coffee, chocolate, leather and liquorice, with treacle toffee and a distant smokiness; the palate…A strong, black beer at 7.5% based on eighteenth-century recipes, with brown, amber and black malts mixed into pale ale malt. The nose brings coffee, chocolate, leather and liquorice, with treacle toffee and a distant smokiness; the palate is full and creamy with ripe dark plums, caramel and spice, and the finish is dry, bittersweet and warming. The name refers to Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Surtr#123 worldwide
ABV
6.2%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 28
Surtr is a top-fermented smoked porter, deep black in the glass and named after the fire giant of Norse myth. Roast and coffee lead, followed by dark chocolate and dried fruit, while a fine smoke note stays in the background and frames the…Surtr is a top-fermented smoked porter, deep black in the glass and named after the fire giant of Norse myth. Roast and coffee lead, followed by dark chocolate and dried fruit, while a fine smoke note stays in the background and frames the darker flavours instead of covering them. With 6.2% ABV from an original gravity of 15° Plato it is malt-driven and complex, yet balanced.
Which of these beers fits your taste?
Build your Beer DNA and see which of these top beers fit your taste — free, in two minutes.
Build my Beer DNA4
Bulk#139 worldwide
ABV
5.8%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 28
A black, dense and velvety porter built on a blend of roasted and caramel malts with small amounts of peated malt. Caramel, chocolate and coffee come through strongly, and the peat adds a delicate nuance reminiscent of whisky rather than…A black, dense and velvety porter built on a blend of roasted and caramel malts with small amounts of peated malt. Caramel, chocolate and coffee come through strongly, and the peat adds a delicate nuance reminiscent of whisky rather than outright smoke. The texture is smooth and full for 5.8%, and 40 IBU give the malt a clear counterweight.
5
Maui Brewing CoCoNut PorTeR#154 worldwide
ABV
6.0%
Bitterness
Noticeably bitter
Colour
dark 35
Hand-toasted coconut meets hints of mocha and a coffee-roast aroma in this robust porter, deep brown to black in the glass. The flavor delivers real coconut with a subdued, spicy complexity. The beer launched in cans in 2007 as CoCoNut…Hand-toasted coconut meets hints of mocha and a coffee-roast aroma in this robust porter, deep brown to black in the glass. The flavor delivers real coconut with a subdued, spicy complexity. The beer launched in cans in 2007 as CoCoNut PorTeR and has carried the name Coconut Hiwa Porter since 2016; it pours at 6.0 % ABV and 30 IBU.
Ranks 6–10
6
Robust Porter#208 worldwide
A classic robust porter — roasted malt, dark chocolate, and a touch of coffee bitterness in the finish. Drinks lighter than its color suggests, making it dangerously sessionable for a beer this dark. Ranked on fit to the Porter reference, award history in style-judged competitions and community ratings.
7
Teodorico#213 worldwide
A bottom-fermented Baltic Porter, decoction-mashed, with locally produced forest honeydew honey added. It pours deep black. Toffee, dark cocoa and coffee carry the aroma. The palate is enveloping and velvety, very intense yet well…A bottom-fermented Baltic Porter, decoction-mashed, with locally produced forest honeydew honey added. It pours deep black. Toffee, dark cocoa and coffee carry the aroma. The palate is enveloping and velvety, very intense yet well balanced, generous and soft, with restrained bitterness. Hopped with Magnum and Mittelfrüh. It is dedicated to Theodoric, king of the Goths, who made Verona one of his residences.
8
Big Island Brewhaus White Mountain Porter#222 worldwide
A robust porter that opens with toasted coconut and coffee aromas, followed by hints of rich, silky chocolate and dark malt. It is brewed with hand-toasted coconut and estate coffee and drinks smooth at 5.8 % and 33 IBU. Draft and cans…A robust porter that opens with toasted coconut and coffee aromas, followed by hints of rich, silky chocolate and dark malt. It is brewed with hand-toasted coconut and estate coffee and drinks smooth at 5.8 % and 33 IBU. Draft and cans from the Waimea brewhaus. Brewed in the 10-barrel brewhaus in Waimea, 2,764 feet above the sea.
9
7 Beaufort#289 worldwide
Dark chocolate and pure cocoa lead, with soy, black coffee and dark fruit, a hint of wood and earth, and a finish that stays on raw dark chocolate. Three roasted and caramelised malts build this 7% Baltic porter, pictured as a violent…Dark chocolate and pure cocoa lead, with soy, black coffee and dark fruit, a hint of wood and earth, and a finish that stays on raw dark chocolate. Three roasted and caramelised malts build this 7% Baltic porter, pictured as a violent storm in the triangle of winds between Tinos, Delos and Mykonos. It won gold at the Brussels Beer Challenge in 2019 and 2022.
10
Founders Porter#327 worldwide
Founders Porter is the brewery's year-round porter at 6.5 percent, brewed from seven malts including chocolate and Munich and hopped with Nugget, Willamette and Crystal. It pours near black with a creamy tan head. Roasted coffee and dark…Founders Porter is the brewery's year-round porter at 6.5 percent, brewed from seven malts including chocolate and Munich and hopped with Nugget, Willamette and Crystal. It pours near black with a creamy tan head. Roasted coffee and dark chocolate lead the aroma, joined by dried fruit and a sweet caramel note that recalls graham cracker. The body is medium and silky, bitterness stays low, and the finish is smooth with lingering cocoa.
The taste landscape
Of the 23 top beers, 22 lean malt-forward and 0 lean hop-forward.