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1st August 2024

Old Speckled Hen Family Shines with Star Recognitions at the Great Taste Awards 2024

Old Crafty Hen and Old Master Hen, both part of the Old Speckled Hen brand, have both secured stars at the Great Taste Awards this year following tough competition.

For this year’s Great Taste awards just over 40% of products entered were awarded one or more stars. Old Crafty Hen has received 2-stars in its category, an accolade only awarded to 10.1% of all entrants, and Old Master Hen received 1-star.

The Great Taste award is the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme, putting food or drink to the test with a panel of over 500 experts from chefs, buyers, food writers and retailers. Product entries may then receive a 1-, 2- or 3-star accolade which are highly respected seals of approval for retailers and consumers.

Old Crafty Hen is a 6.5% strong fine ale which offers a rare blend of Old Speckled Hen with the legendary Old 5X. Combining the malty taste with a smooth raisin finish, this ale has great complexity, but it is still refreshing. Old Crafty Hen is available across multiple retailers across the UK.

Old Master Hen, 2023 Edition, is a premium ale brewed at 7% ABV and is bottled conditioned to mature with age. Using the, nowadays, rarer process of bottle-conditioning, it allows for the beer to ferment further in the bottle and bring out deeper characters in the flavours of Old Master Hen as time goes by, making it the perfect ale for beer lovers and collectors. This premium ale is the perfect gift idea and is available on Greene King’s online shop.

Old Speckled Hen, previously part of Morland Brewery, became part of Greene King just under 25 years ago and has gone on to introduce numerous new styles of beer into its portfolio, including two new styles this year – Old Session Hen and Old Midnight Hen.

David Spencer, Head of Marketing for the Old Speckled Hen range said: “We are delighted to have received such brilliant results for our beers with Great Taste this year. We are passionate about making great beer and these results are a testament to our brewers and their skills in creating the delicious range that we have.

“We are incredibly proud of our beers, and we continue to invest in our ale portfolio while also taking the opportunity to innovate and develop products while celebrating the heritage of the range. As you can see, we really have something for everyone and hope to see more people enjoying a beer from our Old Speckled Hen range.”

Greene King also secured brilliant results at the Great Taste awards 2023, with a 3-star rating for Ice Breaker Pale Ale and 1-star for its Flint Eye Dry Hopped Lager.

To find out about Old Speckled Hen’s range go to: https://www.greeneking.co.uk/our-beers/old-speckled-hen

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

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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