Best Bitter Old Speckled Hen

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Orfy

For the love of beer!
HBT Supporter
Joined
Sep 27, 2005
Messages
11,732
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Location
Cheshire, England
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Danstar Nottingham
Yeast Starter
No
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter
No
Batch Size (Gallons)
6.5
Original Gravity
1050
Final Gravity
1013
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
47
Color
10
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
7
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
14
Additional Fermentation
21
Recipe: Old Speckled Hen
Brewer: Orfy
Style: English Old Ale

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Size: 30.29 L
Estimated OG: 1.052 SG
Estimated Color: 10.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 47.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
0.45 kg Lyle's Golden Syrup (0.0 SRM) Extract 8.3 %
4.35 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 80.0 %
0.54 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 9.9 %
45.00 gm Northern Brewer [8.50%] (60 min) Hops 42.1 IBU
15.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min) Hops 4.1 IBU
10.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (5 min) Hops 1.1 IBU
0.10 kg Dememera Sugar (2.0 SRM) Sugar 1.8 %


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 4.89 kg
----------------------------
Mash In Add 12.76 L of water at 76.9 C 68.0 C 90 min


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.
.


The OSH Thread HERE
 
US measurments

Partial Mash Olde Speckled Hen

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.02 gal
Boil Size: 6.77 gal
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
3 lbs 9.1 oz Light Dry Extract
12.5 oz Lyle's Golden Syrup
1 lbs 12.3 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) UK
13.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
1.30 oz Northern Brewer [8.50%] (60 min) Hops 42.1 IBU
0.43 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min) Hops 4.1 IBU
0.29 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (5 min) Hops 1.1 IBU
2.8 oz Dememera Sugar

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 2.58 lb
----------------------------
Mash In Add 3.22 qt of water at 170.4 F 154.4 F 60 min
 
US measurments for a 3 gallon Boil Pot

TYPE: Extract and Steep


Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 2.43 gal
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
6 lbs 1.5 oz Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM)
13.1 oz Lyle's Golden Syrup (0.0 SRM)
9.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
2.40 oz Northern Brewer [8.50%] (60 min) Hops 42.1 IBU
0.80 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (15 min) Hops 4.1 IBU
0.53 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (5 min) Hops 1.1 IBU
2.9 oz Dememera Sugar

Mash Schedule: None
 
BierMunchers Americanized version.



This is a fantastic beer. If you’re looking for a break from your normal APA and want to try a different recipe, check into this one.

I know Orfy’s recipe is posted, but here the “Yank’d up” version for those of you to lazy…er…uh…busy to convert it. I did modify it a bit with some biscuit malt but this is dang close.

*******
Batch Size: 11.75 gal
Boil Size: 14.55 gal
Estimated OG: 1.052 SG
Estimated Color: 8.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 44.8 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
15.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 71.4 %
1.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 7.1 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 4.8 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4.8 %
3.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50%] (60 min) Hops 40.0 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.50%] (15 min) Hops 3.9 IBU
0.66 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00%] (5 min) Hops 0.9 IBU
2.00 lb Invert Sugar (0.0 SRM) Sugar 9.5 %
0.50 lb Dememera Sugar (2.0 SRM) Sugar 2.4 %
Nottingham slurry from prior weeks brew.
*******
I mashed this at 165 degrees and the malt profile is crazy good. This is a beer that should be poured at around 45-50 degrees and low carbonation.

I keep me kegs at around 37 and all are carb’d pretty much the same…so I ended up drawing a pint, setting it aside for about 15 minutes and then re-pouring into another glass and it was perfect.
 
This is my favorite beer. Just for the record.
 
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