"Real Ale" (Old Speckled Hen)

[thegreatsoprendo]

As a change to the usual lager, I have just bought some Old Speckled Hen to try. At great risk of showing of my complete cluelessness, can anyone tell me whether this should be served chilled or at room temperature?

[DanBoy]

Definitely not chilled!

[moleamol]

Slightly cooler than room temp.

[Twincam16]

Ale should never be chilled - treat it as opposed to lager like you would red wine as opposed to white - store it in a cool, dry place and drink it from a glass. Chilling it in the fridge smothers the taste and the bottle has that glass tang to it - not good.

Enjoy!

[jmorgan]

Show it to the fridge, no more.

[moleamol]

Another top tip - Get the bloody stuff drunk instead of asking on here

[andygo]

sainsburys have some interesting beers in at the mo.£5 for 4 small bottles, but very tasty.

Personally, I go for the imported Stella at £3.75 for 4 x 500ml treats.

[D_Mike]

keep it in the dark! Beer stored in light undergoes a photochemical reaction to make 3-methylbut-2-ene-1-thiol , and you only need 1ng/L of beer of this compound to make the beer undrinkable ! thats 0.00000001g/L . Isohumulones are oxidised by photochemically excited flavins to make this compound.

see K Huvaere et al, Photochem. Photobiol. Sci., 2004

[anhamgrimmar]

anyone got any info on the 'OLD speckled un' that this beer is named for? google just isnt finding anything at the mo. and i always thought it was sposed to be warm when you drank it?

gordon

edit to correct speeling

>> Edited by anhamgrimmar on Saturday 23 April 19:43

[2 Smokin Barrels]

Named after an MG y'know (hence octagonal logo)

[anhamgrimmar]

2 Smokin Barrels said:

Named after an MG y'know (hence octagonal logo)

yeah, but what type was it? old speckled un was a runaround for the factory, but i cant find out what type it is. any ideas?

[Balmoral Green]

Why is it that so many pubs correctly serve lager freezing cold, and then do the same with ale?

A pub near me used to serve a great pint of Bass, then they had a makeover and now it is refrigerated and served frozen. Still, it could be worse, it could be from an aerosol and full of esters to make it creamy.

[2 Smokin Barrels]

anhamgrimmar said:

2 Smokin Barrels said: Named after an MG y'know (hence octagonal logo) yeah, but what type was it? old speckled un was a runaround for the factory, but i cant find out what type it is. any ideas?

Dunno, but it's probably owned by the Chinese!

[ErnestM]

...From the same people that bring you Old Speckled Hen, I find that Tanner's Jack is a better Ale going on flavour alone.

BTW, on the lager/pilsner front - we are finally able to get Stella and Kronenbourg 1664 here in the States. Sampled my first taste of the latter last night and found it very refreshing. Can't wait for Bar-B-Q season to get into full swing with that available...


ErnestM

[Twincam16]

anhamgrimmar said:

2 Smokin Barrels said: Named after an MG y'know (hence octagonal logo) yeah, but what type was it? old speckled un was a runaround for the factory, but i cant find out what type it is. any ideas?

I may be (very) wrong as I am remembering this from an article in a mag that I read over a year ago and don't have to hand, but:

I think 'Old Speckled 'un' was an MG trials special (hence 'speckled' in mud). The racer behind it brewed beer, went commercial, the name stuck.

IIRC, please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Balmoral Green]

Some web site said:

Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory. But why "Old Speckled Hen"? Well, the name is actually derived from the name "owld speckled 'un", a term used to describe an old MG car used as a factory run-around. Over time, this unusual, canvas-covered saloon became covered with flecks of paint and was dubbed the "owld speckled 'un" by locals.

I'm not so sure though, IIRC it was some sort of MG race car that was beige and splattered in oil.

[thegreatsoprendo]

andygo said:

sainsburys have some interesting beers in at the mo.£5 for 4 small bottles, but very tasty. Personally, I go for the imported Stella at £3.75 for 4 x 500ml treats.

Got my OSH from Sainsburys, £3.50 for 2 750 ml bottles. Just quaffed my first pint, and it's pretty good. Thought it had a bit of a cider taste to it initially, but that was probably because I'd just eaten an apple turnover.

Expected it to be flat as a pancake, but it's got a slight fizz to it.

Any other recommendations along similar lines? Apparently Spitfire is a good pint? Next time I go to the pub with my old man, I'll have to order a pint of bitter, the look on his face will be priceless!

[gopher]

Ale should be served slightly cooler than room temp - which is slightly warmer than the room temp the french talk about which is cellar (or cave as it was (badly) translated to me)temp. - The black sheep brewery (Paul Theakston of Theakstons fame) reccommend 13 degrees c for their ales - and I reckon that's just about right, after much experimentation and experience

(Just liberated the beer fridge of a nice cold Hoegarten and next a Warsteiner!)

Cheers

Paul

[mxdi]

Potent stuff but

[Tyre Smoke]

Wychwood Hobgoblin - a cracking beer.

Never seen it on draught though.