Old Spanish Hen? Estrella owner buys Greene King ale brand | Greene King
Pub chain Greene King has agreed to sell its Old Speckled Hen ale brands to the Spanish owner of Estrella lager, making it the latest in a string of British beers to be acquired by overseas buyers.
Barcelona-based brewer Damm has agreed to acquire the entire Old Speckled Hen range, including non-alcoholic and golden beer versions.
Greene King said it would continue to brew beer at its Westgate site in Bury St Edmunds during the “handover period” of the sale, but the process would later move to Damm’s brewery in Bedford, which it opened last year.
Nick Mackenzie, managing director of the 227-year-old pub chain, said the company was “delighted to have found a partner in Estrella Damm to continue producing beer in the UK”.
The companies did not disclose the value of the sale but said once the deal was completed, Old Speckled Hen beers would continue to be available in Greene King pubs as well as major UK supermarkets and off-trade.
Greene King said it plans to move away from off-trade and focus on selling its beers in its own pubs and on-trade in the UK.
Old Speckled Hen was purchased by Greene King from Oxfordshire-based Morland Brewery in 1999. Morland first produced it in 1979 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the MG Car Company’s move from Oxford to Abingdon.
The business had asked Morland to brew a commemorative beer for the occasion, calling it “Old Speckled Hen” after the MG Featherlight Saloon, which they called “owl-spotted” for its spotted appearance.
Its sale to Damm makes it the latest in a series of British beer brands to be acquired by a foreign drinks group.
In 2015, Camden Town Brewery agreed to be taken over by AB InBev, the Belgian company behind Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s, in a deal worth around £85 million.
That year, SAB Miller, the drinks group that produces Peroni and Miller, also agreed to buy London’s Meantime Brewing Company. AB InBev later acquired SAB Miller.
In 2019, British pub chain Fuller, Smith & Turner accepted a £250 million bid from Japanese beer group Asahi for its entire drinks business, including its flagship London Pride beer.
This year US beverage company Molson Coors said it would close its Cornish brewery, which produces Doom Bar beer. The company, which bought Sharp’s Brewery in the Rock 15 years ago, said it was “no longer financially sustainable” and would close the site by the end of this year.
Molson Coors is also behind Madrí Excepcional beer, which it markets as the “spirit of Madrid”, although the beer is produced in Tadcaster, Yorkshire.
The boss of Barcelona-based and family-controlled Estrella Damm told the Sunday Times that Madrí “has no legacy”.
Billionaire Demetrio Carceller Arce, who took over the business from his father, told the newspaper last year: “I 100 percent respect the idea of finally coming to Madrid without D, which is great. [But] Madrí is a created brand. There is no inheritance. “We have a superior product.”
There are several popular Spanish beers sold in the UK that are produced domestically; these include San Miguel, produced by AB InBev in Northampton, and Cruzcampo, produced by Heineken in Manchester.
Luke White, managing director of Damm UK, said: “Old Speckled Hen is an iconic British beer brand with a rich heritage and loyal following… By adding another category to our offering, the brand not only complements the existing portfolio range but also Damm Kartal Brewery Its history dates back to British beer and brewing roots.
