Old Crafty Hen - Greene King / Morland Brewery

fx20736

New York

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500ml bottle into a Nonic. Served cool.

Orangish amber with 2 fingers of offwhite head. Scraps of lacing.

Aroma of malts with a faint plumminess.

Mouthfeel: frothy

Taste: malt, then an oaken flavor with a touch of plums on the fade.

Notes: I've had many English 'Old Ales' before. This tastes like one of them.

I had a 2nd bottle the next day at cellar temp and it was much better' the oak was more balanced, the taste more enjoyable. My evaluation went from 'decent' to 'good'. This beer cost me one quarter of that of Yorkshire Stingo and while Stingo is a better beer, this is pretty good one. At less than $ 5 for a 500ml bottle this is a very nice beer to sip on a Sunday.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 07:42:46 | More by fx20736

kvnstfrd

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +20.3%

05-23-2013 03:32:22 | More by kvnstfrd

breakingbland

Michigan

3.94/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 1 pt., 0.9 oz. (0.5 liter) clear glass bottle (not dated) into a pint glass.

Appearance: Slightly hazy honey golden. There is slight effervesce from the bottom of the glass. The head was a very thin layer of foam that dissipated quickly into a ring that persisted.

Aroma: Very slight skunkiness (but not objectionable) followed by sweet maltiness with some hops and grassiness. Not a strong aroma overall.

Taste: Hits the tongue initially with a rich but very well balanced malt/hops pairing. After swallowing, there is a marked honey-like sweetness that gives way to a grassy, hoppy bitterness that persists for a while.

Mouthfeel: Moderate to low carbonation. The rich flavor works with the moderate body to give this beer a good feel in the mouth.

Overall: I bought this in a 4-pack with three other "Old Hen" offerings from Morland based on my good opinion of "Old Speckled Hen". This one is called a "superior fine ale" on the bottle, and by comparison to OSH, it is -- mainly due to the rich maltiness and sweetness (both of which I am a fan). I will look for this again and would consider it something of a special occasion beer. (This has been discussed in the forums [http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/clear-bottles.23175/], but I'm surprised that there's so little skunkiness [only a slight skunky aroma] as these beers are sold in clear bottles.)

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 22:32:20 | More by breakingbland

Bubbalito

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

04-27-2013 00:56:36 | More by Bubbalito

DrunkinYogi

Connecticut

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

04-24-2013 17:12:21 | More by DrunkinYogi

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -6.4%

04-23-2013 08:33:14 | More by Mebuzzard

Oldkentman

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

04-19-2013 19:14:58 | More by Oldkentman

ONUMello

Ohio

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

500ml bottle poured into a pint glass
A: Burnt orange color with a one-finger head that settles to a thin lacing
S: Sweet caramel/toffee, roasted grains, & a bit of fruitiness
T: Matches the nose - brown sugar & its associated candies initially, some malt & a fruit-driven finish
M: Medium-bodied but the sweetness makes it a bit syrupy; I would prefer more crispness
O: Very solid brew. I bought a four-pack "hen house" sampler from the brewery and this is by far the best of the four

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2013 00:13:18 | More by ONUMello

Radome

Spain

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

03-23-2013 22:08:24 | More by Radome

Drink_AK

Alaska

4/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is great, beautiful amber in an ice-cold mason jar.

Smells sweet, like the inside of a brewery.

Taste is a bit too sweet for my taste, as I enjoy the bitter. But a great beer after a dinner, I'd love to try it on tap. Dessert like for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 04:08:18 | More by Drink_AK

SonOfKyuss

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +13.6%

03-17-2013 00:18:19 | More by SonOfKyuss

tonton

Hong Kong

4.41/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Having this beer now at Trafalgar Pub in Wanchai.

Poured from a 50cl clear bottle into an English pint. Beautiful golden ale with a gorgeous 2" white head.

Smell - nice, common pale ale smell.
Taste - Banana, walnut, malt, hops.
Mouth - Moderate to high carbonation, nice linger on the tongue.

Overall - Excellent example of a strong English Ale. Recommended!

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 09:37:39 | More by tonton

TheBigBoy

Pennsylvania

2.25/5  rDev -39.8%

02-28-2013 03:49:59 | More by TheBigBoy

droomyster

Virginia

3.95/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear dark copper body with a brief head that settles to a white collar. Big and sweet aromas of predominantly toffee, followed in strength by dark fruit (very fig-like) and a hint of vanilla. Taste carries a big toffee and biscuity blast on the front and mid-palates, with dark fruit (figs, prunes, raisins) and sherry-like notes emerging on the mid to back-palates. A lightly earthy, wet wood-like bitterness lends some balance to the finish. As far as old ales go, this isn't nearly as potent as some of the American best-sellers, but its relatively mild intensity makes it potentially more appealing to a broad audience, while the austerity of flavor profile gives the geekier beer consumer something to revel in.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 04:04:32 | More by droomyster

jmdrpi

Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

500 ml clear bottle, no date

appears a brilliant dark copper color with amber highlights. small thin head. sweet malty aroma. brown sugar, a touch of golden raisin and earthiness. taste is unfortunately not as complex. a bit too sweet, could use a bit of hop balance. medium body, medium to higher carbonation.

overall - a bit disappointed. doesn't seem much different than the regular Old Speckled Hen.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 06:04:12 | More by jmdrpi

Beerstorian

District of Columbia

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

02-17-2013 13:34:07 | More by Beerstorian

vinicole

United Kingdom (England)

3.75/5  rDev +0.3%

02-16-2013 20:00:01 | More by vinicole

Huffs

New York

4.29/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured into a pint glass and developed a nice creamy, biscuit colored head which lasted and laced reasonably well. Appearance was clear, amber / ruby color with a light aroma of cream and toffee. Taste had notes of caramel, toffee and vanilla with a light, bitter aftertaste. Mouthfeel was full and creamy. Classic English Ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 02:07:13 | More by Huffs

pkalix

California

4.35/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

nice copper color, clear, little head on top; smells of sweet malts.
tastes of sweet malts, lots of caramel; a lot like some of these other versions of english beer i've been having lately with the sweetness in the middle. nice, mellow taste, easy to drink with a higher abv at 6.5%
overall, i like the style and i like the taste. lots of character and easy to drink a few in succession. i like the malitness and want to know how these english beers get this particular taste which no one else seems to be able to produce. the closest thing to them are the german commercial caramel-y beers like the oktoberfests, but these have totally different twists which i really enjoy. anybody know?

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 01:55:15 | More by pkalix

BeerDude59

4/5  rDev +7%

02-08-2013 17:27:55 | More by BeerDude59

Thedrizzle

Florida

4/5  rDev +7%

02-06-2013 23:10:33 | More by Thedrizzle

stone3187

Virginia

4/5  rDev +7%

02-06-2013 20:56:14 | More by stone3187

Pencible

Virginia

2.48/5  rDev -33.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: This poured a clear dark copper with a little white head.
S: It smelled like strong skunky lager yeast, with some sweet raisin and toffee, and a little biscuit and maraschino cherry.
T: It tasted like strong skunky lager yeast, with a little sweet raisin and subtle nutty malt and biscuit. It had a lasting skunky aftertaste.
M: It was watery with some carbonation. Fairly light body.
D: Clear glass strikes again. Moreland needs to fix this, since I can only imagine ever getting skunky beers from them in the US. The scent and taste were not pleasant, and the body was pretty weak. The finish was rough, so it was not easy to drink in any regard. Boo.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2013 05:23:18 | More by Pencible

Odysseyalien

New Jersey

2.5/5  rDev -33.2%

01-26-2013 21:20:40 | More by Odysseyalien

AlTrombley

Connecticut

3.25/5  rDev -13.1%

01-01-2013 04:34:08 | More by AlTrombley