Old Speckled Hen continues to delight customers through new brews with the launch of a brand-new ale, Old Dandy Hen, alongside the release of its 2025 edition of its premium beer, Old Master Hen, just in time for Father’s Day.
Old Dandy Hen is a 3.4% citrusy pale ale that blends fresh hop characters with vibrant citrus and subtle floral notes.
Building on the success of last year’s launch of Old Session Hen, Old Speckled Hen continues to innovate in an area that is gaining strong traction within the beer category: ales with lower ABV content. As moderation continues to rise across drinkers, a lower ABV product offers a delicious refreshment for those who want just a few drinks or even just one with reduced alcohol content.
Old Dandy Hen, available in 500ml bottles, has been brewed as an exclusive for Morrisons stores across England and will be available from this week for a limited time only at an RRP of £1.
The premium ale, Old Master Hen, will be making its third annual edition return with a refreshed look and recipe for 2025. The brew has been crafted by Greene King’s Head Brewer, Jack Palmer, and this year’s recipe offers hints of spice and citrus fruits that balances perfectly with the warm toffee and malty notes in the beer.
The 7% rich ale is bottled-conditioned to mature with age and allows further fermentation in the bottle to draw out deeper characters. Old Master Hen has been crafted and presented in a premium fashion for beer drinkers and is ideal as a gift for beer enthusiasts.
Old Master Hen will also be available in 500ml bottles for a limited time in Morrisons stores, launching this week, and in Waitrose stores from the beginning of June for a limited time.
Following the growth of the Old Speckled Hen family in the last couple of years it has become the largest master traditional ale brand by value in the off trade by acting on emerging consumer preferences while staying true to the heritage, taste, and quality of the portfolio*.
Kirsten Alexander, Brand Manager for the Old Speckled Hen family, said: “We’ve continued to expand the Old Speckled Hen brand to bring our loyal drinkers a wider variety of styles, while also welcoming new consumers who are looking for different beers to explore.
“It’s always exciting to see a beer come to life from just a concept to finally hitting shelves and being enjoyed by consumers. We work closely with our retail partners to ensure we are creating something that works for their customers and the Hen family continues to grow its portfolio as we continue to introduce new ale styles and align with drinkers’ preferences.”
Old Dandy Hen and the 2025 edition of Old Master Hen will both be available in 500ml bottles in Morrisons stores this month.
-ENDS-
*Source: Greene King customised view of NielsenIQ Retail Measurement service. Total traditional ale brand value for the 52 weeks ending 19/04/2025, GB total Coverage. Copyright © 2025 Nielsen Consumer LLC. All Rights Reserved.
For further information, please contact hollysmith@greeneking.co.uk.
Notes to editors
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs is our mainstream pub brand located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country with clear ambition to be “The Nation’s Most Loved Pub Brand”.
- Destination Brands is a portfolio of distinct brands which includes Hungry Horse, Chef & Brewer, Farmhouse Inns and Flaming Grill that bring friends and family together, delivering great service, quality and value for money for a range of eating out and drinking occasions.
- Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs.
- Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
For further information, please contact hollysmith@greeneking.co.uk.
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