The pub company Greene King has reached an agreement to transfer its Old Speckled Hen ale portfolio to Damm, the Spanish proprietor of Estrella lager, marking another British beer brand falling under foreign ownership.
The Barcelona-headquartered brewery Damm has struck a deal to purchase the complete range of Old Speckled Hen products, encompassing its alcohol-free and golden ale variants.
The tipple was originally crafted by the Morland Brewery, based in Abingdon, which ceased operations in February 2000. The beverage takes its name from an MG vehicle, specifically a 1927 black and gold factory runaround model.
The production facility on Ock Street shuttered its doors after Greene King acquired the business, moving the manufacturing of celebrated brands including Old Speckled Hen to Bury St Edmunds. The former brewery location now houses residential apartments.
Greene King indicated that brewing would persist at its Westgate facility in Bury St Edmunds throughout the transitional phase, with production subsequently shifting to Damm’s Bedford brewery, which the company established last year.
Nick Mackenzie, the chief executive of the 227-year-old pub operator, said the business was pleased to have found a collaborator in Estrella Damm that would ensure these ales continued to be brewed in the United Kingdom.
The firms declined to reveal the financial details of the transaction, confirming that following completion, Old Speckled Hen products would continue appearing at Greene King establishments alongside major retailers throughout Britain.
Greene King acquired Old Speckled Hen from the Oxfordshire-based Morland Brewery in 1999.
Morland first produced the beverage in 1979 to commemorate the MG Car Company’s 50th anniversary following its relocation from Oxford to Abingdon.
The car manufacturer had commissioned Morland to create a celebratory brew for the event, christening it Old Speckled Hen after their MG Featherlight Saloon, which they nicknamed after the vehicle owing to its speckled colouring.
Its acquisition by Damm follows a pattern of British brewing brands being purchased by international beverage corporations.
The MG connections to the town are honoured at the Greene King-operated establishment The Roaring Raindrop.
The Midget public house situated off Preston Road in Abingdon underwent substantial renovation work in 2024, with its owners investing a six-figure sum.
Its designation, referencing the town’s former MG car manufacturing plant, was altered to The Roaring Raindrop, named after an MG automobile built to challenge land speed records during the 1950s.
The fresh name was selected as the prior title had been deemed objectionable, according to at least one complaint received.
In 2015, Camden Town Brewery accepted a takeover offer from AB InBev, the Belgian corporation behind Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s, in a transaction valued at approximately £85m.
That same period saw SAB Miller, the drinks conglomerate producing Peroni and Miller, acquire London’s Meantime Brewing Company. AB InBev subsequently purchased SAB Miller.
Four years later, the British pub company Fuller, Smith & Turner accepted a £250m proposal from the Japanese brewing group Asahi for its entire beverage division, which included its signature London Pride ale.
Several well-liked Spanish lagers are distributed in Britain yet produced domestically, including San Miguel, manufactured by AB InBev in Northampton, and Cruzcampo, brewed by Heineken in Manchester.
Luke White, the managing director of Damm UK, said that Old Speckled Hen represents a distinguished British ale marque with substantial history and a devoted customer base. He explained that the brand not only enhances their existing collection by introducing another style to their range but also restores the Damm Eagle Brewery’s connection to its historical British brewing traditions.