Full Recipe including Partial Mash and Extract and Steep Here
It makes a mighty fine brew.
Old Speckled Hen
Ingredients for Mash
4.35 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain
0.54 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain
Mash In:
Hold mash at 68.0 C for 90 min
Boil for 60 min
0.45 kg Lyle's Golden Syrup
44.95 gm Northern Brewer [8.50%] (60 min) Hops
0.08 kg Dememera Sugar (2.0 SRM) Sugar
45 min into boil Add 14.98 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min)
55 min into boil Add 9.99 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (5 min)
Start Gravity:1.052
Final Gravity: 1.013
Taste Rating (50 possible points): 50.0
Golden Syrup is liquid invert sugar.
Demerera sugar is soft brown sugar.
Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the local MG car factory. WHY? I hear you ask. Well, sit back, relax, and I'll tell you.
The name is actually derived from the term "owld speckled 'un", used to describe an old MG car which was used as a factory run-around. Through time, this strange, canvas-covered saloon became covered with flecks of paint and was dubbed the "owld speckled 'un" by locals. There you are, simple and completely uninteresting.
The brewing of Old Speckled Hen was transferred in 1999 from Abingdon in Oxfordshire to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. These days Greene King brews all its beers in Bury St Edmunds, where ale has been a feature of life since at least as far back as 1086.
OSH is a rich and strong ale and is available as a cask ale in pubs across the country but, for those of us who don't have access to this beer on draught,it is widely available in 500 ml bottles and cans at supermarkets and off licences.
~~~~~~~~
THE POUR
~~~~~~~~
In the glass Morland Old Speckled Hen pours to a rich and sparkling, dark amber to russet colour with a warm, inviting, reddish tone. It has a very distinctive aroma which is sweet, nutty and fruity with very rich, toasted malt undertones. It's also a little floral and a yeasty bakery tone. With good carbonation, there's a fairly decent, creamy off-white head which isn't particularly long-lasting but still leaves a nice lace effect.
~~~~~~~~~
THE TASTE
~~~~~~~~~
It's medium bodied with a well rounded mouth feel and an extremely smooth taste that is slightly bitter, but it also has a toffee sweetness. The texture is excellent, frothy and smooth, with a snappy, bitter hop tang throughout that is well balanced by slightly sweet underlying malts. The finish leaves a pleasant aftertaste of hops with a hint of a medicinal flavour.
Apparently the distinctive fruity and malty flavour comes from a mix of pink and crystal malts and a strain of yeast first used in the 1890's. Morland's also use Goldings hops which are a very typical English variety.
~~~~~~~~~~~
THE VERDICT
~~~~~~~~~~~
At 5.2% ABV, it's a somewhat dry but satisfying beer. OSH is a fairly rich, robust and extremely drinkable Pale Ale. It makes for a great session beer as it goes down really well with no visible effort. It's not the greatest Pale Ale in the world, but it's very pleasant and I would have no trouble sinking a few of these.
The 500 ml bottle is widely available at around £1.40.
Full Recipe including Partial Mash and Extract and Steep Here
It makes a mighty fine brew.
Old Speckled Hen
Ingredients for Mash
4.35 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain
0.54 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain
Mash In:
Hold mash at 68.0 C for 90 min
Boil for 60 min
0.45 kg Lyle's Golden Syrup
44.95 gm Northern Brewer [8.50%] (60 min) Hops
0.08 kg Dememera Sugar (2.0 SRM) Sugar
45 min into boil Add 14.98 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min)
55 min into boil Add 9.99 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (5 min)
Start Gravity:1.052
Final Gravity: 1.013
Taste Rating (50 possible points): 50.0
Golden Syrup is liquid invert sugar.
Demerera sugar is soft brown sugar.
Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the local MG car factory. WHY? I hear you ask. Well, sit back, relax, and I'll tell you.
The name is actually derived from the term "owld speckled 'un", used to describe an old MG car which was used as a factory run-around. Through time, this strange, canvas-covered saloon became covered with flecks of paint and was dubbed the "owld speckled 'un" by locals. There you are, simple and completely uninteresting.
The brewing of Old Speckled Hen was transferred in 1999 from Abingdon in Oxfordshire to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. These days Greene King brews all its beers in Bury St Edmunds, where ale has been a feature of life since at least as far back as 1086.
OSH is a rich and strong ale and is available as a cask ale in pubs across the country but, for those of us who don't have access to this beer on draught,it is widely available in 500 ml bottles and cans at supermarkets and off licences.
~~~~~~~~
THE POUR
~~~~~~~~
In the glass Morland Old Speckled Hen pours to a rich and sparkling, dark amber to russet colour with a warm, inviting, reddish tone. It has a very distinctive aroma which is sweet, nutty and fruity with very rich, toasted malt undertones. It's also a little floral and a yeasty bakery tone. With good carbonation, there's a fairly decent, creamy off-white head which isn't particularly long-lasting but still leaves a nice lace effect.
~~~~~~~~~
THE TASTE
~~~~~~~~~
It's medium bodied with a well rounded mouth feel and an extremely smooth taste that is slightly bitter, but it also has a toffee sweetness. The texture is excellent, frothy and smooth, with a snappy, bitter hop tang throughout that is well balanced by slightly sweet underlying malts. The finish leaves a pleasant aftertaste of hops with a hint of a medicinal flavour.
Apparently the distinctive fruity and malty flavour comes from a mix of pink and crystal malts and a strain of yeast first used in the 1890's. Morland's also use Goldings hops which are a very typical English variety.
~~~~~~~~~~~
THE VERDICT
~~~~~~~~~~~
At 5.2% ABV, it's a somewhat dry but satisfying beer. OSH is a fairly rich, robust and extremely drinkable Pale Ale. It makes for a great session beer as it goes down really well with no visible effort. It's not the greatest Pale Ale in the world, but it's very pleasant and I would have no trouble sinking a few of these.
The 500 ml bottle is widely available at around £1.40.
Full Recipe including Partial Mash and Extract and Steep Here