Old Speckled Hen

Morland Old Speckled Hen

www.oldspeckledhen.co.uk/

Brewed by Morland Brewery/Greene King
Style: Premium Bitter
Bury St. Edmunds, England

Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in 1979, and is a premium bitter from the Morland Brewery. It started as a commemorate beer to remember the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Since 2000, they have moved from the Abingdon brewery to the Bury St Edmunds brewery the home of their new owners, Greene King Brewery.

Old Speckled Hen took its name from the iconic MG car which was used as a runaround for workers in the MG factory. Over years of service, the car became covered in flecks of paint, gaining it acclaim in the town and earned it the nickname “Owld Speckled ‘Un”, hence the name for the commemorative beer!

It is available in more than forty different countries in bottles, cans and on tap from cask and keg. The brand has been expanded to also include Old Crafty Hen, a 6.5% abv ale, Old Golden Hen, a golden coloured 4.1% beer, and Old Hoppy Hen, a 4.2% abv pale ale

Review: 50cl bottle of Morland Old Speckled Hen (Filtered): 5.0% vol.

On a nice white bottle with the red colour of the beer shining through, read that this is an “English Fine Ale”. Just as a reminder that England is known for its top fermented cask beer (also called real ale) which finishes maturing in the cellar of the pub rather than at the brewery and is served with only natural carbonation. English beer styles include bitter, mild, brown ale and old ale. This brew, is considered “Great Britain’s number one premium ale”, as they said so themselves on their website so who am I to disagree!

Looks pretty good pour, as expected it has a nice pretty amber copperish colour but the head is smaller than I had expected, a small whitish head that goes a bit flat very quick. Head and beer look pretty rubbish to be honest!

A very interesting smell on the nose, I am getting a whiff of caramel and toffee notes, but it is very light, and also it smells of pale malts, some fruits and light grains. Light but interesting.

On the taste got a real bitter aftertaste, which was very creamy and all a bit “urgh!”

Not one to sip and enjoy, very, very bitter, not one to enjoy at all, all a bit too strong in the taste for me. That hoppy aftertaste is a right killer for me.

It feels half between an IPA and a lager ale. Can get the malts, fruits and caramel, but it’s the hop bitterness that kills everything in its way! According to their site, a blend of Challenger, Pilgrim, First Gold and Goldings hops, all knocking seven shades out of your tastebuds!!!

It is shit, lets call a spade a spade, not enjoyable at all. Was strong enough to drink, felt the alcohol for sure, but urgh, yuck.

The English must be crazy fuckers drinking these hard core bitters and ales! Fuck that, the mad bastards!