History: Porter was the first commercially brewed beer. It was named for the train porters who were its original servers and consumers. Samuel Smiths Old Brewery, Yorkshires oldest, reintroduced authentic porter to the British beer scene in 1979 after an absence of more than 50 years. Taste: Very dark, fairly full in body and packed with flavor. Intense, dry tangy character of roasted barley. Pairings: Oysters on the half shell, Rockefeller or Cajun style, clams, mussels, crab cocktail, lobster bisque and other shellfish, smoked mackerel pâté, veal with green peppercorns, porterhouse steak and of course chocolate. Serve at 55 degrees in nonik or tumbler.