Arthur Guinness II Records the Superior Porter Recipe

In 1821, Arthur Guinness II set down precise brewing instructions for Guinness Superior Porter at the St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin. The stronger porter was developed during a period in which the brewery was expanding its range and its sales beyond Ireland. Historical accounts also refer to the beer as Extra Superior Porter, but Guinness’s current official history identifies the recorded 1821 recipe as Superior Porter. The beer became the predecessor of Guinness Extra Stout, illustrating the gradual historical transition from porter to stout rather than the creation of an entirely separate beer style. During the nineteenth century, stronger porters were increasingly described as stout porter and eventually simply as stout. Guinness Extra Stout remains a direct descendant of the recipe recorded by Arthur Guinness II in 1821.