Old Speckled Hen

Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in 1979 in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire in England, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory there on 30 November 1979.

They asked Abingdon brewers Morland & Co to create a special commemorative beer for the occasion, for which they would suggest the name and would also design the octagonal label.

Twenty-five barrels, 1200 dozen half-pints bottles, were produced, mostly for the promotional activities at MG, but also for limited distribution to Morland houses in the Abingdon area.

[13][14] Upon acquiring Morland, Greene King almost immediately decided to place emphasis on multi packs, rather than the sale of individual bottles and cans.

According to the website, this was an attempt by Greene King to maintain customer affordability on the beer by paying less on the excise duty to accommodate the increased production costs, whilst still offering the same great taste.

As part of this, Greene King, through the Speckled Hen brand, has embarked on a marketing campaign involving sponsorship by the Northamptonshire[17][18] and Derbyshire County Cricket Clubs[19] and, most notably, the digital television channel Dave.

Greene King's marketing director said of the deal, "The fit between Dave and Old Speckled Hen is absolutely spot on.

After having researched the brand, he discovered that landlords were often asked about the name, so he suggested carrying a label on the reverse of the bottle, that would tell the story.

Old Speckled Hen is also available in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, India, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands and Russia.

A bespoke product stream ensures the beers remain segregated and guarantees that they can be designated as gluten free.

[38] The latest addition to Greene King's range of Hen beers, this limited edition ale is bottle conditioned and brewed with malt, hops, pure water and yeast.

The tastes and aromas of this beer is full-bodied and warming, with masses of characteristic toffee and fruit, notes of citrus and orange, and a traditional English hop bitterness.