The Fox and Hen

Some beers spark my interest because they have a pretty label. Some have a cool tap handle. Some I'm drawn to because I like the name. Perhaps it's my background in advertising that explains my attraction to these things. Perhaps it's because I'm a girl. In any case, I drank a beer called Old Speckled Hen solely based on the name. I get a lot of questions about this one. Old Speckled Hen, people muse. What does that taste like?

The name 'Old Speckled Hen' doesn't exactly make my mouth water. What would I think it would taste like? Probably not very good. But, they say you can't judge a book by it's cover, so I gave it a try. This English ale is a pale golden orange color and pours with a thick foamy head. It has a dry and crisp taste with a lot of bitterness to it, as many English ales do. It's a bit of a floral beer as well. I didn't especially like it; I found it a bit too bitter for my tastes. I finished it anyway. Some input I got from a friend who tried it said it tasted like soda water, and it sucks. Maybe you can judge a book by it's cover.

So, what about the name Old Speckled Hen? The term "owld speckled un" was used to describe an old MG, a British sports car. The British locals came up with this name because the car was covered by specks of orange paint. The vintage MG cars were manufactured in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, the same location where the beer is brewed, at Moreland brewery. Old Speckled Hen was produced as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the MG.

I logged onto the beer's website and was surprised to see a plethora of foxes featured as a mascot. I don't get it. I would think that they would have chosen, oh, I don't know, maybe a HEN. Maybe they figured, "Who doesn't like a friendly cartoon fox?" Maybe foxes were easier to personalize than hens. Or maybe they were drunk on Old Speckled Hen when they came up with that idea. Who knows.