Old Speckled Hen

All of those English beers are what I drank after I turned 21. OSH, Hobgoblin, Boddingtons. They're easy to drink, the only thing that sucks is they lack any complexity. I had Old Speckled Hen at a beer event I worked recently, first time I had it in years. Such nostalgia.

 

I love Old Speckled Hen. It turns up on the taps fairly often here in NJ. It's usually served via nitro dispense like Draft Guinness, hence the smooth body and creamy head. It doesn't assault you with soda-pop like carbonation present in most American beers (including so called 'craft' ones).
I had the opportunity to try it once with standard c02 dispense...it was good, but much too carbonated and it was served much too cold (and those two things can really negatively affect flavor).

As far as any lack of 'complexity', I tend to disagree. It's not a beer that hits you over the head over the top flavors or bitterness like the current fad beers; it's complexity lies in it's wonderful balance.

 

This beer doesn't get much love these days, but its an old favorite of mine. Especially the nitro draft version.

 

It was originally brewed by Morlands near Oxford. "Old Speckled Hen" was an MG competition car , the MG factory was in the same town as the brewery.
Morlands was then bought up by Greene King who began to brew a beer of the same name in Bury St.Edmund.It was cut from 5.2% ABV to its present value and from its taste uses the Greene King house yeast.It is therefore not as good as the Oxford brewed version at its best but the old version was somewhat inconsistent. It was said not to travel well but I never accepted that argument.
It's a perfectly good bog standard bitter , never designed to blow you away but just be a pleasant experience to sink a pint or three.

 

Old Speckled Hen is a nice, sessionable pub beer but it lacks the complexity and flavor of many craft beers.

 

Very nice tasting brew. I still see it 4-pack cans in stores. Tetley's was another good one but I havent see that in years

 

Loved Old Speckled Hen when I was first getting into beer, and it was later slightly surpassed by Hobgoblin as one of my favorites to get on tap while overseas, before really diving into the craft beer scene.

 

Definitely an overlooked beer. Started drinking this with my old man back when I first started drinking. We used to get in 6 packs. I've also had it on tap and in nitro can. A very nice beer.

 

My 80-year-old grandfather loves it, it's his go-to ale!

 

Old Speckled Hen on nitro?! I clearly live in the wrong place, because that sounds amay-ZING!

 

Definitely overlooked. I'm over 1,500 beers reviewed/rated and see this one on the store shelves nearly every time in many places. I was shocked to check my ratings and I've never had it (at least not in last 5 years since on BA). Probably the low/avg. ratings and fact its a clear bottle/pale ale collecting dust that steers me clear.

 

It has been a while but I remember enjoying it. I believe it is still available in bottle in my next of the woods.

 

Wow, talk about your blasts from the past. I used to drink this on occasion, but to be honest, it's probably been 8-10 years since I had a bottle. I recall enjoying it, but can't remember the specifics. I'll see if I can find a bottle here and give it another try.

Cheers for the reminder.

 

I like the comments about OSH lacking complexity. It doesn't hit you with a sledgehammer like a bourbon barrel etc. Beer but it is very complex if you appreciate subtlety.

 

It was the first beer that made me realise what light struck beer tasted like. Never got on with it since

Old Golden Hen was quite nice when fresh though

 

Far too much risk buying clear bottles to give it a go. Would happily buy a pint on draught if I ever saw it though.

 

It comes in cans too.

 

Wait, this is a clear-bottle beer? I know I saw some at the local beer/wine store a while back and almost ended up trying it (think that was the trip where I ended up going with Long Trail's Double Bag instead), and I thought the bottles were brown. Going by the picture on this site's entry with a clear-bottle, the beer's not a dark enough one that I could've gotten a brown bottle mixed up with a clear one at a glance, so... I'm a bit confused.

 

If you're on Cape Cod I always have it at the store I manage. It's been a staple since I got in the Biz in 2005. If a store near you can't find out how to order it tell them too look up Greene King in their ordering book. It's a great beer.