In the 18th century, when London brewers faced rising costs, they crafted an affordable brew for the working class, who were mostly employed as porters. So was born the porter, or the stout, whose appeal reached so far beyond the London working class that it can safely be called the world's first global beer. This book is an in-depth, 300-year chronicle of how a cheaply made drink meant for local workers has become internationally renowned. Covering the changing ways porters and stouts have been brewed over the centuries, how different styles evolved, from Baltic porter to milk stout, and porter's triumphant return in the era of craft beer, this book presents a complete history of the world's favorite dark brew.