Old Speckled Hen

The Old Speckled Hen logo

Old Speckled Hen is an English ale from the Morland Brewery, now owned by Greene King Brewery. Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in 1979 in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory there. Since 2000, when Greene King bought Morland and closed down the Abingdon brewery, it has been made in Greene King's Bury St Edmunds brewery.^[1] It is available in more than twenty different countries in bottles, cans and on tap from cask and keg. The brand has been expanded to include Old Crafty Hen, a 6.5% abv ale and Old Golden Hen, a golden coloured 4.1% beer.

History

An original bottle of Old Speckled Hen

Old Speckled Hen took its name from an 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", translated into Old Speckled Hen for the brown ale first brewed by Morland in 1979 when the brewery was asked by MG to create a commemorative beer for the factory's 50th anniversary.^[2][3] Daniel O'Leary, a cooper and former brewer, developed the recipe for the beer. Ian Williams was a personnel officer at the MG factory in Abingdon in 1979 and it was he who thought of using the name for the new ale.

After the MG factory moved in 1980, production declined and Old Speckled Hen was almost exclusively available in pubs operated by Morland due to financial constraints and a different direction being taken by the brewery- mistakenly believing its future lay in the production of lager. Within a few years, Morland began to re-explore the avenue of ale production, reviving Old Speckled Hen and launching the draught version in 1990 with considerable success, with Old Speckled Hen proving to be a beer that Morland could market outside their own estate.^[4][5]

In January 1993, Old Speckled Hen was featured as Michael Jackson's "Beer of the Month" in his regular column for The Independent.^[6] The relaunch was thought to be behind an 8.9% interim profits rise for Morland in June 1997.^[7]

Greene King announced in December 2003 that, in the light of what it called "foaming" sales of Old Speckled Hen in particular, it was expanding its brewing capacity, having previously been operating at 96% capacity.^[8]

Fiona Hope, marketing director for Greene King speculated in April 2009 that Old Speckled Hen could follow GK's IPA and be made available in the so-called "dual pour font" whereby the tap version is available in two different styles, though this is, as yet, unconfirmed.^[9]

Availability

Old Speckled Hen is available in bottles, cans and kegs. The alcohol by volume of both the canned and bottled versions is 5.2%, making it a relatively strong, premium ale, however, the cask version was reduced to 4.5% abv in 2006 to make it more of a "sessionable beer", resulting in a 60% increase in availability.^[10][11] Upon acquiring Morland, Greene King almost immediately decided to place emphasis on multi packs, rather than the sale of individual bottles and cans.^[12]

Marketing and rebranding

Old Speckled Hen was, in 2008 and 2009, rebranded to appeal to a younger audience. As part of this, Greene King, through the Speckled Hen brand, has embarked on a marketing campaign involving sponsorship of the Northamptonshire^[13][14] and Derbyshire County Cricket Clubs^[15] and, most notably, the digital television channel Dave.^[16][17] The ten second adverts, which feature a "crafty fox" seeking out an "elusive hen" and feature the catchphrase "It's different, But it's not a hen.", are shown eight times per hour after 9PM on weekdays. Greene King's marketing director said of the deal, "The fit between Dave and Old Speckled Hen is absolutely spot on. Both offer something a little different, witty, and quintessentially British".^[18][19] The Old Speckled Hen livery also appears on fifteen black cabs in the Central London area.^[2]

The advertising campaign is part of a drive to appeal to younger drinkers which has also included the weakening of the draught version and the introduction of the advertising slogan "a not so traditional English ale" which featured on an oil painting reproduced in broadsheet newspapers and at 250 London Underground stations.^[20] Additionally, the campaign saw the total revamping of the brand's website, again aimed at a younger audience and to provide more information as a follow on from the ad campaign.^[21] The campaign was masterminded by Fallon Worldwide, the company that devised Cadbury's Gorilla campaign,^[22] although the contract was later taken up by the Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy agency, who devised the television campaign, which cost £3.5 million.^[23]
According to Rob Flanagan, brand controller for Old Speckled Hen, the aim of the campaign was to attract up to 3 million new drinkers to the brand, while appearing to retain its "niche" status amongst established customers.^[24]

The relaunch appeared to be successful almost immediately, with Greene King reporting "major success".^[25]

Exports

Old Speckled Hen's acclaim has not been limited to the United Kingdom. The Hen has been exported to over 40 countries, including Singapore, where 200 pints a day are sold in a single pub, the USA, where it is available in 32 of the 50 states and reportedly popular in New York City, and Canada. Old Speckled Hen is also available in Italy, Brazil, Ireland, France, Belgium, Finland, Sweden and Norway.^[3]

Old Crafty Hen

A bottle of Old Crafty Hen, the super premium version of Speckled Hen

Old Crafty Hen is a 6.5%abv 'super premium' version of Old Speckled Hen. Released in September 2008, it is marketed as combining the tastes of Speckled Hen and a former Greene King brand, 'Old 5X'.^[26] Neil Jardine, of Greene King claims that Crafty Hen is "a genuinely exceptional beer". Crafty Hen is significantly stronger than Speckled Hen, having been matured for several years, giving it a less pronounced flavour that varies from one batch to the next.^[27] Old Crafty was listed as number three in The Independent's Top Ten Best Winter Ales.^[28]

Old Golden Hen

Old Golden Hen was launched in August 2011, it is a Light golden ale. Crafted by the master brewer of "Old Speckled hen", this light golden beer delivers both flavour and refreshment. Brewed using the finest pale malts and the rare Galaxy hop to give a light golden colour, subtle tropical fruit notes and a deliciously smooth finish

References

1. ^ http://www.threshold-press.co.uk/hospy_rev/hr_stories/hr_GKgrowth_aug07.html
2. ^ ^{a b} "Old Speckled Hens- the MG Beer". mgroadster.co.uk. http://www.mgaroadster.co.uk/speckled_hen__the_mg_beer.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Old Speckled Hen Exports". Greene King Brewery. http://www.greenekingexport.co.uk/osh_export.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
4. ^ Stevenson, Tom (29/11/96). "Old Speckled Hen takes off". London: The independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/the-investment-column-old-speckled-hen-takes-off-1354811.html. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
5. ^ Jackson, Michael (02/01/93). "Long may the Speckled Hen range free". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/food--drink-long-may-the-speckled-hen-range-free-michael-jacksons-beer-of-the-month-outlived-the-abingdon-mg-car-plant-it-commemorated-and-is-now-in-demand-from-brighton-to-blackpool-1476172.html. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
6. ^ Jackson, Michael (02/01/93). "Long may the Speckled Hen range free". Michael Jackon. http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000104.html. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
7. ^ Cope, Nigel (13/06/97). "Speckled Hen sales boost Morland". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/speckled-hen-sales-boost-morland-1255694.html. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
8. ^ Walsh, Dominic (10/12/03). "Greene King gets set to brew more". London: The Times. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/article1038838.ece. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
9. ^ Harrington, John (08/04/09). "Old Speckled Hen could be next for dual- pour font". London: Morning Advertiser. http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/82636. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
10. ^ "Old Speckled Hen launches ads to back new ABV level". London: Marketing Week. 12/10/06. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-34012807_ITM. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
11. ^ "Old Speckled Hen loses its strength in the on-trade". London: Talking Retail. 10/08/06. http://www.talkingretail.com/news/industry-news/2147-old-speckled-hen-loses-its-strength-in-the-on-trade.html. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
12. ^ "SPECKLED HEN FLIES IN PACKS OF THREE". London: The Grocer. 11/11/00. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67326832.html. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
13. ^ Forshaw, Luke (09/04/09). "Old Speckled Hen signs sponsorship deal with Northants Cricket". London: Marketing Magazine. http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/897773/Old-Speckled-Hen-signs-sponsorship-deal-Northants-Cricket/. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
14. ^ "Cricket, casino and pint of real ale". Northampton: Northamptonshire Chronicle. 04/11/09. http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/13400/Cricket-casino-and-pint-of.5162526.jp. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
15. ^ "Old Speckled Hen nets deal with Derbyshire County Cricket Club". Derby: Derbyshire CCC. 29/04/09. http://www.derbyshireccc.com/servlets/template?FILE=news-fullstory&SID=131060139960305294&news_id=1952&title=Old%20Speckled%20Hen%20nets%20deal%20with%20Derbyshire%20County%20Cricket%20Club. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
16. ^ Hook, Sonya (27/04/09). "TV debut for Old Speckled Hen". London: Morning Advertiser. http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/82848. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
17. ^ Yates, Nick (27/04/09). "Old Speckled Hen goes for blokes". London: The Publican. http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?storyCode=63521. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
18. ^ Charles, Gemma (28/04/09). "Old Speckled Hen in TV debut". London: Marketing Magazine. http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/901380/Old-Speckled-Hen-TV-debut/. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
19. ^ "Greene King ‘Old Speckled Hen’ to sponsor Dave". just-drinks.com. 28/04/09. http://www.just-drinks.com/article.aspx?id=97099. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
20. ^ Protz, Roger (March 2008). "Not so Old Speckled Hen". beer-pages.com. http://www.beer-pages.com/protz/news/old-speckled-hen.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
21. ^ Donnelly, Alison (23/06/08). "Old Speckled Hen sports a new website". London: Marketing Magazine. http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/822276/Old-Speckled-Hen-sports-new-website/. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
22. ^ "Old Speckled Hen 'the not so traditional' by Fallon". London: campaignlive.co.uk. 25/02/08. http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/885979/Old-Speckled-Hen-the-not-so-traditional-Fallon/. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
23. ^ "MCBD picks up £3.5m Old Speckled Hen creative account". London: campaignlive.co.uk. 30/04/09. http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/902214/MCBD-picks-35m-Old-Speckled-Hen-creative-account/. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
24. ^ "Old Speckled Hen appeals to young". London: The Grocer. 03/03/2008. http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=articles&ID=125098. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
25. ^ "Ale hailed as the next big thing as sales soar". London: The Grocer. 09/07/2007. http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx?page=articles&ID=120497. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
26. ^ Weekes, Claire (23/11/08). "Old Speckled Hen brewers unveil super premium ale". London: Harpers Wine and Spirit. http://www.harpers.co.uk/product-news/beer-news/7126-old-speckled-hen-brewers-unveil-super-premium-ale.html. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
27. ^ Protz, Roger (September 2008). "The Old Crafty Hen". beer-pages.com. http://beer-pages.com/protz/features/old-crafty-hen.htm. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 
28. ^ "The Ten Best Winter Ales". London: The Independent. 2008-11-27. http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/food-drink/the-ten-best-winter-ales-1036505.html?action=Popup&ino=3. Retrieved 2009-11-04. 

External links

• Official website