UK: Damm UK to acquire Old Speckled Hen beer brands

Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, has agreed to sell the Old Speckled Hen (OSH) family of beer brands to Damm UK. Damm UK is the owner of Estrella Damm and a family-owned Spanish brewing business that operates in Bedford, UK.

Greene King originally acquired OSH in 1999 from Morland. The brand range encompasses the Old Speckled Hen, Old Golden Hen, Old Crafty Hen and Old Master Hen brands. Following the completion of the sale, the brands will remain available across Greene King’s pubs and in the UK off-trade, including major supermarkets.

Production is expected to move to the Damm Eagle Brewery in Bedford from June 2027. Until then, OSH will continue to be produced at Greene King’s Westgate Brewery as part of the transition process.

Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King, stated: “We are proud to have built Old Speckled Hen into one of the nation’s favourite ales over the last 25 years, and are delighted to have secured a partner in Estrella Damm brewer Damm UK who will continue to brew the ales in the UK”.

Source: Greene King (via the British Guild of Beer Writers)