Beer of the Day Review - Old Speckled Hen (Nitro-can)

I have been looking forward to this one.

What we have today is a 4-pack of Old Speckled Hen, an English Pale Ale from the Morland Brewery in the United Kingdom. Of course, these are nitro-cans, which, much like Guinness or Boddingtons, have a nitrogen filled widget inside which releases nitrogen gas as it is poured to help create the creamy head. The Youtube.com video link at the bottom of the post may help explain that a little better.

This is from the Wikipedia entry on Old Speckled Hen, for those that are wondering the reason and history behind the name of this beer:

Old Speckled Hen took its unusual 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 by Morland in 1979 when the brewery was asked by MG to create a commemorative beer for the factory's 50th anniversary.

Now on to the review.

This beer pours a lovely copper color that becomes visible once the nitrogen cascade is finished and the beer has 'settled'. Thanks to the nitro, the head is about a finger's worth and hangs around all the way to the end, typical of any nitro beer, like Guinness. Oh, and it also leaves some very nice lacing, visible even when you pour a fresh beer in the glass... (click on the picture to get a closer look)

Also usual for a nitro-beer, the nose is a bit subdued. I get hints of biscuit, malt, and a bitterness that is slightly hoppy and definitely metallic.

Once I taste it everything changes. Wow, this is smooth and tasty. Sweet malt and biscuit come through strongly up front, it goes down super smooth, then a strong (but nowhere near overwhelming) floral hop finish. It finishes with a clean hop bitterness that is in no way overpowering and leaves not much, if any, aftertaste.

Those sweet malts up front are surprising because they taste like the roasted malt one would expect from a nitro stout, particularly Beamish. Not as strong as they would be in the stout, but definitely there. Also, the metallic smell that is present in the nose amazingly does not present itself in the taste, unlike Boddingtons I can detect almost no metal taste in this beer at all. Most definitely a good thing.

You can definitely notice that famed British hard water element in this beer. Subtle and hard to describe, the cold, hard water feel and texture is there, if you know what to look for.

Like most nitro-beers this one goes down super smooth with a light, creamy mouthfeel. Alcohol is listed at 5.20% abv but it is not very noticeable and these beers are very easy to put away.

There's not much else to say. This is a fine beer. A proper English Ale to be exact. Well made, tasty and easy to put down, this brew is a must for all fans of English Ales. My only complaint is the slight metallic smell and even then, it doesn't make it's way to the taste of the wonderful brew. This may not be the best English Pale around but, considering it's a nitro-can, I call this beer a Glass FULL. Tasty, well balanced and well put together, this beer is a must for any lover of English Ales or just good nitro-beers in general. I will be having this again very soon. Cheers!

The Beer of the Day