113-789: Morland was a brewery in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, and the second oldest brewer in England, until it was bought by Greene King in 2000. Morland's beers include Hen's Tooth, Old Speckled Hen , Tanner's Jack and Morland's Original. John Morland founded the brewery in West Ilsley in 1711. In the 1860s, Morland bought Abbey Brewery and Eagle Brewery and in 1885 changed its name to United Breweries. The company bought several more breweries and around 1944 changed its name back to Morland. In 1979, Morland created Old Speckled Hen, one of their most popular beers, to commemorate
226-411: A public limited company called Morland and Co plc, and all the acquired brewery names were dropped except Ferguson's Ltd, which was retained for the wine and spirits business, and Bass-Charrington Brewery which was kept separate because of its expensive new distribution warehouse. In 1997 Morland purchased Ruddles Brewers and moved their production from Oakham to Abingdon. In 2000 Morland and Co plc
339-594: A "mash tun" – an insulated brewing vessel with a false bottom . The end product of mashing is called a "mash". Mashing usually takes 1 to 2 hours, and during this time the various temperature rests activate different enzymes depending upon the type of malt being used, its modification level, and the intention of the brewer. The activity of these enzymes convert the starches of the grains to dextrins and then to fermentable sugars such as maltose . A mash rest from 49–55 °C (120–131 °F) activates various proteases , which break down proteins that might otherwise cause
452-589: A 6.5% ABV ale, Old Golden Hen, a golden coloured 4.1% beer, and Old Hoppy Hen, a 4.2% ABV pale ale . Old Speckled Hen took its name from an experimental car called the MG Featherlight Saloon . The car's body was made of a wooden frame covered with gold-speckled black cellulosed fabric. It was used as a runaround for workers in the MG factory in Abingdon and was nicknamed the "owd speck'ld un". In 1979,
565-674: A cool temperature, the preservative nature will decrease. Brewing is the sole major commercial use of hops. Yeast is the microorganism that is responsible for fermentation in beer. Yeast metabolises the sugars extracted from grains, which produces alcohol and carbon dioxide , and thereby turns wort into beer. In addition to fermenting the beer, yeast influences the character and flavour. The dominant types of yeast used to make beer are Saccharomyces cerevisiae , known as ale yeast, and Saccharomyces pastorianus , known as lager yeast; Brettanomyces ferments lambics , and Torulaspora delbrueckii ferments Bavarian weissbier . Before
678-408: A cooling medium which can be cooled to below the freezing point , which allows a finer control over the wort-out temperature, and also enables cooling to around 10 °C (50 °F). After cooling, oxygen is often dissolved into the wort to revitalize the yeast and aid its reproduction. While boiling, it is useful to recover some of the energy used to boil the wort. On its way out of the brewery,
791-425: A degree that brewers of pale ales will add gypsum to the local water in a process known as Burtonisation . The starch source in a beer provides the fermentable material and is a key determinant of the strength and flavour of the beer. The most common starch source used in beer is malted grain. Grain is malted by soaking it in water, allowing it to begin germination , and then drying the partially germinated grain in
904-497: A domestic scale, although by the 7th century AD beer was also being produced and sold by European monasteries . During the Industrial Revolution, the production of beer moved from artisanal manufacture to industrial manufacture , and domestic manufacture ceased to be significant by the end of the 19th century. The development of hydrometers and thermometers changed brewing by allowing the brewer more control of
1017-408: A feature used to drive the spent grain out of the vessel. The mash filter is a plate-and-frame filter. The empty frames contain the mash, including the spent grains, and have a capacity of around one hectoliter. The plates contain a support structure for the filter cloth. The plates, frames, and filter cloths are arranged in a carrier frame like so: frame, cloth, plate, cloth, with plates at each end of
1130-573: A feature, such as adding wheat to aid in retaining the foamy head of the beer. The most common starch source is ground cereal or "grist" - the proportion of the starch or cereal ingredients in a beer recipe may be called grist, grain bill, or simply mash ingredients . Steps in the brewing process include malting , milling , mashing , lautering , boiling , fermenting , conditioning , filtering , and packaging . There are three main fermentation methods: warm , cool and spontaneous . Fermentation may take place in an open or closed fermenting vessel;
1243-500: A fine powder such as diatomaceous earth (also called kieselguhr), which is added to the beer to form a filtration bed which allows liquid to pass, but holds onto suspended particles such as yeast. Filters range from rough filters that remove much of the yeast and any solids (e.g., hops, grain particles) left in the beer, to filters tight enough to strain colour and body from the beer. Filtration ratings are divided into rough, fine, and sterile. Rough filtration leaves some cloudiness in
SECTION 10
#17327754036981356-468: A further 100 were added two years later from Whitbread . More purchases were made in the mid-1990s, and also a number of restaurants nationwide. Morland opened their own restaurants called ' Artist Fayre as well as another 100 pubs from Whitbread & co Plc.'. Morland Plc owned over five hundred pubs when the brewery closed in 2000. A large wooden house built for head brewer James Dymore Brown great-grandson of Jas Dymore Brown Reading Brewery once lived in
1469-405: A kiln. Malting grain produces enzymes that will allow conversion from starches in the grain into fermentable sugars during the mash process. Different roasting times and temperatures are used to produce different colours of malt from the same grain. Darker malts will produce darker beers. Nearly all beer includes barley malt as the majority of the starch. This is because of its fibrous husk, which
1582-403: A less hazy product. Some beers undergo an additional fermentation in the bottle giving natural carbonation. This may be a second and/or third fermentation. They are bottled with a viable yeast population in suspension. If there is no residual fermentable sugar left, sugar or wort or both may be added in a process known as priming. The resulting fermentation generates CO 2 that is trapped in
1695-475: A particular purpose, such as brewing beers with a high abv. Brewers in Bavaria had for centuries been selecting cold-fermenting yeasts by storing ("lagern") their beers in cold alpine caves. The process of natural selection meant that the wild yeasts that were most cold tolerant would be the ones that would remain actively fermenting in the beer that was stored in the caves. A sample of these Bavarian yeasts
1808-478: A renowned artist and painter). RPG Design also created a new identity to be carried through pub fascias, vehicle livery etc. Another advertising campaign was part of a drive to appeal to younger drinkers which has also included the weakening of the draught version and the introduction of the advertising slogan "a not so traditional English ale" which featured on an oil painting reproduced in broadsheet newspapers and at 250 London Underground stations. Additionally,
1921-591: A secondary fermentation may also occur in the cask or bottle . There are several additional brewing methods , such as Burtonisation , double dropping , and Yorkshire Square , as well as post-fermentation treatment such as filtering , and barrel-ageing . Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BC, and archaeological evidence suggests emerging civilizations including China , ancient Egypt , and Mesopotamia brewed beer. Descriptions of various beer recipes can be found in cuneiform (the oldest known writing) from ancient Mesopotamia . In Mesopotamia
2034-417: A section of them. Filtering stabilises the flavour of beer, holding it at a point acceptable to the brewer, and preventing further development from the yeast, which under poor conditions can release negative components and flavours. Filtering also removes haze, clearing the beer, and so giving it a "polished shine and brilliance". Beer with a clear appearance has been commercially desirable for brewers since
2147-402: A solid) out of the beer along with protein solids and are found only in trace amounts in the finished product. This process makes the beer appear bright and clean, rather than the cloudy appearance of ethnic and older styles of beer such as wheat beers . Examples of clarifying agents include isinglass , obtained from swim bladders of fish; Irish moss , a seaweed; kappa carrageenan , from
2260-760: A starch source, such as malted barley , able to be fermented (converted into alcohol); a brewer's yeast to produce the fermentation; and a flavouring, such as hops , to offset the sweetness of the malt. A mixture of starch sources may be used, with a secondary saccharide, such as maize (corn), rice, or sugar, these often being termed adjuncts , especially when used as a lower-cost substitute for malted barley. Less widely used starch sources include millet , sorghum , and cassava root in Africa, potato in Brazil, and agave in Mexico, among others. The most common starch source
2373-543: A very few breweries still use wooden vats for fermentation as wood is difficult to keep clean and infection-free and must be repitched more or less yearly. There are three main fermentation methods, warm , cool , and wild or spontaneous . Fermentation may take place in open or closed vessels. There may be a secondary fermentation which can take place in the brewery, in the cask or in the bottle . Brewing yeasts are traditionally classed as "top-cropping" (or "top-fermenting") and "bottom-cropping" (or "bottom-fermenting");
SECTION 20
#17327754036982486-489: Is a 6.5% ABV 'super premium' version of Old Speckled Hen. Released in September 2008, it is marketed as combining the tastes of Speckled Hen and a former Greene King brand, 'Old 5X'. Neil Jardine, of Greene King claims that Crafty Hen is "a genuinely exceptional beer". Crafty Hen is significantly stronger than Speckled Hen, having been matured for several years, giving it a less pronounced flavour that varies from one batch to
2599-438: Is added to the finished beer. The active yeast will restart fermentation in the finished beer, and so introduce fresh carbon dioxide; the conditioning tank will be then sealed so that the carbon dioxide is dissolved into the beer producing a lively "condition" or level of carbonation. The kräusening method may also be used to condition bottled beer. Lagers are stored at cellar temperature or below for 1–6 months while still on
2712-467: Is called saccharification which occurs between the temperatures 60–70 °C (140–158 °F). The result of the mashing process is a sugar-rich liquid or "wort" , which is then strained through the bottom of the mash tun in a process known as lautering . Prior to lautering, the mash temperature may be raised to about 75–78 °C (167–172 °F) (known as a mashout) to free up more starch and reduce mash viscosity. Additional water may be sprinkled on
2825-399: Is conducted so that it is even and intense – a continuous "rolling boil". The boil on average lasts between 45 and 90 minutes, depending on its intensity, the hop addition schedule, and volume of water the brewer expects to evaporate. At the end of the boil, solid particles in the hopped wort are separated out, usually in a vessel called a "whirlpool". Copper is the traditional material for
2938-470: Is cooled in open vats (called " coolships "), where the yeasts and microbiota present in the brewery (such as Brettanomyces ) are allowed to settle to create a spontaneous fermentation, and are then conditioned or matured in oak barrels for typically one to three years. After an initial or primary fermentation, beer is conditioned , matured or aged, in one of several ways, which can take from 2 to 4 weeks, several months, or several years, depending on
3051-401: Is fully distributed through the beer while it is fermenting, and both equally flocculate (clump together and precipitate to the bottom of the vessel) when fermentation is finished. By no means do all top-cropping yeasts demonstrate this behaviour, but it features strongly in many English yeasts that may also exhibit chain forming (the failure of budded cells to break from the mother cell), which
3164-663: Is ground cereal or "grist" - the proportion of the starch or cereal ingredients in a beer recipe may be called grist, grain bill, or simply mash ingredients . Beer is composed mostly of water. Regions have water with different mineral components; as a result, different regions were originally better suited to making certain types of beer, thus giving them a regional character. For example, Dublin has hard water well suited to making stout , such as Guinness ; while Pilsen has soft water well suited to making pale lager , such as Pilsner Urquell . The waters of Burton in England contain gypsum , which benefits making pale ale to such
3277-580: Is important not only in the sparging stage of brewing (in which water is washed over the mashed barley grains to form the wort ) but also as a rich source of amylase , a digestive enzyme that facilitates conversion of starch into sugars. Other malted and unmalted grains (including wheat, rice, oats, and rye , and, less frequently, maize (corn) and sorghum) may be used. In recent years, a few brewers have produced gluten-free beer made with sorghum with no barley malt for people who cannot digest gluten -containing grains like wheat, barley, and rye. Hops are
3390-513: Is in the technical sense different from true flocculation. The most common top-cropping brewer's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , is the same species as the common baking yeast. However, baking and brewing yeasts typically belong to different strains, cultivated to favour different characteristics: baking yeast strains are more aggressive, in order to carbonate dough in the shortest amount of time; brewing yeast strains act slower, but tend to tolerate higher alcohol concentrations (normally 12–15% abv
3503-426: Is kilning when the malt goes through a very high temperature drying in a kiln; with gradual temperature increase over several hours. When kilning is complete, the grains are now termed malt , and they will be milled or crushed to break apart the kernels and expose the cotyledon , which contains the majority of the carbohydrates and sugars; this makes it easier to extract the sugars during mashing. Mashing converts
Morland Brewery - Misplaced Pages Continue
3616-571: Is less clear in modern brewing with the use of cylindro-conical tanks. Generally, warm-fermented beers, which are usually termed ale , are ready to drink within three weeks after the beginning of fermentation, although some brewers will condition or mature them for several months. When a beer has been brewed using a cool fermentation of around 10 °C (50 °F), compared to typical warm fermentation temperatures of 18 °C (64 °F), then stored (or lagered) for typically several weeks (or months) at temperatures close to freezing point, it
3729-443: Is pumped into the heat exchanger, and goes through every other gap between the plates. The cooling medium, usually water from a cold liquor tank , goes through the other gaps. The ridges in the plates ensure turbulent flow. A good heat exchanger can drop 95 °C (203 °F) wort to 20 °C (68 °F) while warming the cooling medium from about 10 °C (50 °F) to 80 °C (176 °F). The last few plates often use
3842-420: Is recorded. Before the thirteenth century, beer was flavoured with plants such as yarrow , wild rosemary , and bog myrtle , and other ingredients such as juniper berries , aniseed and ginger , which would be combined into a mixture known as gruit and used as hops are now used; between the thirteenth and the sixteenth century, during which hops took over as the dominant flavouring, beer flavoured with gruit
3955-414: Is termed a " lager ". During the lagering or storage phase several flavour components developed during fermentation dissipate, resulting in a "cleaner" flavour. Though it is the slow, cool fermentation and cold conditioning (or lagering) that defines the character of lager, the main technical difference is with the yeast generally used, which is Saccharomyces pastorianus . Technical differences include
4068-876: Is the maximum, though under special treatment some ethanol-tolerant strains can be coaxed up to around 20%). Modern quantitative genomics has revealed the complexity of Saccharomyces species to the extent that yeasts involved in beer and wine production commonly involve hybrids of so-called pure species. As such, the yeasts involved in what has been typically called top-cropping or top-fermenting ale may be both Saccharomyces cerevisiae and complex hybrids of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces kudriavzevii . Three notable ales, Chimay , Orval and Westmalle , are fermented with these hybrid strains, which are identical to wine yeasts from Switzerland. In general, yeasts such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae are fermented at warm temperatures between 15 and 20 °C (59 and 68 °F), occasionally as high as 24 °C (75 °F), while
4181-422: Is the process in which the beer ages, the flavour becomes smoother, and flavours that are unwanted dissipate. After conditioning for a week to several months, the beer may be filtered and force carbonated for bottling, or fined in the cask . Mashing is the process of combining a mix of milled grain (typically malted barley with supplementary grains such as corn , sorghum , rye or wheat), known as
4294-494: Is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley ) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast . It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, at home by a homebrewer , or communally. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BC, and archaeological evidence suggests that emerging civilizations, including ancient Egypt , China , and Mesopotamia , brewed beer. Since
4407-624: Is typically around 60°, an angle that will allow the yeast to flow towards the cone's apex, but is not so steep as to take up too much vertical space. CCVs can handle both fermenting and conditioning in the same tank. At the end of fermentation, the yeast and other solids which have fallen to the cone's apex can be simply flushed out of a port at the apex. Open fermentation vessels are also used, often for show in brewpubs, and in Europe in wheat beer fermentation. These vessels have no tops, which makes harvesting top-fermenting yeasts very easy. The open tops of
4520-447: Is used to cool the wort in a heat exchanger, the water is significantly warmed. In an efficient brewery, cold water is passed through the heat exchanger at a rate set to maximize the water's temperature upon exiting. This now-hot water is then stored in a hot water tank. Fermentation takes place in fermentation vessels which come in various forms, from enormous cylindroconical vessels, through open stone vessels, to wooden vats. After
4633-409: Is where chemical reactions take place, including sterilization of the wort to remove unwanted bacteria, releasing of hop flavours, bitterness and aroma compounds through isomerization , stopping of enzymatic processes, precipitation of proteins, and concentration of the wort. Finally, the vapours produced during the boil volatilise off-flavours , including dimethyl sulfide precursors. The boil
Morland Brewery - Misplaced Pages Continue
4746-613: The draught version in 1990 with considerable success, with Old Speckled Hen proving to be a beer that Morland could market outside their own estate. In January 1993, Old Speckled Hen was featured as beer reviewer Michael Jackson's "Beer of the Month" in his regular column for The Independent . The relaunch was thought to be behind an 8.9% interim rise in profits for Morland in June 1997. Greene King announced in December 2003 that, in
4859-441: The starch in the grain into sugars, typically maltose to create a malty liquid called wort . There are two main methods – infusion mashing, in which the grains are heated in one vessel; and decoction mashing, in which a proportion of the grains are boiled and then returned to the mash, raising the temperature. Mashing involves pauses at certain temperatures (notably 45–62–73 °C or 113–144–163 °F), and takes place in
4972-399: The yeast . This in turn creates a beer lower in body and higher in alcohol. A rest closer to the higher end of the range favours α-amylase enzymes, creating more higher-order sugars and dextrins which are less fermentable by the yeast, so a fuller-bodied beer with less alcohol is the result. Duration and pH variances also affect the sugar composition of the resulting wort. Lautering is
5085-413: The "grist" or "grain bill", and water, known as "liquor", and heating this mixture in a vessel called a "mash tun". Mashing is a form of steeping, and defines the act of brewing, such as with making tea, sake , and soy sauce . Technically, wine, cider and mead are not brewed but rather vinified , as there is no steeping process involving solids. Mashing allows the enzymes in the malt to break down
5198-448: The 1860s, Morland acquired Abbey Brewery and then Eagle Brewery. In the 1880s, Morland moved its operation from West Ilsley to Abingdon . In 1885, Morland became a limited company and changed its name to United Breweries and its trademark to a pyramid of three beer barrels, with the initials of the three breweries on the ends of them. In 1889, the company took over two brewers, H. B. Saxby and Field & Sons, keeping their names on
5311-651: The 2012 Monde Selection ’s World Quality Selections The brand became the third member of the Old Speckled Hen family to win a Monde Selection Quality Award . Old Hoppy Hen was launched in April 2014 and is a hoppy pale ale, inspired by the US craft beer scene. It is made with pale and crystal malts, as well as rye malt, and Chinook hops. Brewed with Pale and Crystal malts alongside Challenger, First Gold and Goldings hops, Old Speckled Hen Low Alcohol attempts to evoke
5424-461: The 50th anniversary of the MG car factory there on 30 November 1979. Since 2000, when Greene King bought Morland and closed down the Abingdon brewery, it has been made in Greene King's Bury St Edmunds brewery. It is available in more than twenty different countries in bottles, cans and on tap from cask and keg. The brand has been expanded to include Old Crafty Hen, a 6.5% ABV ale, Hens Tooth,
5537-678: The 50th anniversary of the MG car factory in Abingdon, England. After Greene King bought the Morland brewery in Abingdon, it closed it and transferred the Ruddles and Old Speckled Hen brands to its own brewery in Bury St Edmunds. The building was converted into residential housing. A farmer, John Morland, set up the brewery in 1711, and the ale and porter was bought by pubs in London. In
5650-575: The MG Factory celebrated the 50th anniversary of the MG Car Company's move from Oxford to Abingdon. They asked Abingdon brewers Morland & Co to create a special commemorative beer for the occasion, for which they would suggest the name and would also design the octagonal label. Head Brewer Jim Dymore-Brown used a recipe that had been developed by Daniel O'Leary ( brewer and former cooper ) for this. The beer, an amber coloured Pale Ale,
5763-432: The ability of lager yeast to metabolize melibiose , and the tendency to settle at the bottom of the fermenter (though ale yeasts can also become bottom settling by selection); though these technical differences are not considered by scientists to be influential in the character or flavour of the finished beer, brewers feel otherwise - sometimes cultivating their own yeast strains which may suit their brewing equipment or for
SECTION 50
#17327754036985876-437: The activity of brewer's yeast over less desirable microorganisms; and they aid in "head retention", the length of time that the foam on top of the beer (the beer head ) will last. The preservative in hops comes from the lupulin glands which contain soft resins with alpha and beta acids. Though much studied, the preservative nature of the soft resins is not yet fully understood, though it has been observed that unless stored at
5989-417: The air, it is possible that beer-like beverages were independently developed throughout the world soon after a tribe or culture had domesticated cereal. Chemical tests of ancient pottery jars reveal that beer was produced as far back as about 7,000 years ago in what is today Iran. This discovery reveals one of the earliest known uses of fermentation and is the earliest evidence of brewing to date. In Mesopotamia,
6102-599: The beer to be hazy. This rest is generally used only with undermodified (i.e. undermalted) malts which are decreasingly popular in Germany and the Czech Republic, or non-malted grains such as corn and rice, which are widely used in North American beers. A mash rest at 60 °C (140 °F) activates β- glucanase , which breaks down gummy β-glucans in the mash, making the sugars flow out more freely later in
6215-553: The beer, but it is noticeably clearer than unfiltered beer. Fine filtration removes almost all cloudiness. Sterile filtration removes almost all microorganisms. Old Speckled Hen Old Speckled Hen is a bitter beer originally made by the Morland Brewery , but now brewed by Greene King Brewery . Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in 1979 in Abingdon-on-Thames , Oxfordshire in England, to commemorate
6328-435: The boiling vessel for two main reasons: firstly because copper transfers heat quickly and evenly; secondly because the bubbles produced during boiling, which could act as an insulator against the heat, do not cling to the surface of copper, so the wort is heated in a consistent manner. The simplest boil kettles are direct-fired, with a burner underneath. These can produce a vigorous and favourable boil, but are also apt to scorch
6441-402: The bottle, remaining in solution and providing natural carbonation. Bottle-conditioned beers may be either filled unfiltered direct from the fermentation or conditioning tank, or filtered and then reseeded with yeast. Cask ale (or cask-conditioned beer) is unfiltered , unpasteurised beer that is conditioned by a secondary fermentation in a metal, plastic or wooden cask. It is dispensed from
6554-704: The brand, while appearing to retain its "niche" status amongst established customers. The relaunch was successful, with Greene King reporting "major success". The Hen has been exported to over 40 countries, including Singapore, where 200 pints a day are sold in a single pub. In the US, it is available in 32 of the 50 states and reportedly popular in New York City. Old Speckled Hen is also available in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, India, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands and Russia. Old Crafty Hen
6667-470: The brew kettle, larger breweries use a separate tank, and design will differ, with tank floors either flat, sloped, conical or with a cup in the centre. The principle in all is that by swirling the wort the centripetal force will push the trub into a cone at the centre of the bottom of the tank, where it can be easily removed. A hopback is a traditional additional chamber that acts as a sieve or filter by using whole hops to clear debris (or " trub ") from
6780-500: The brewer's craft was the only profession which derived social sanction and divine protection from female deities/goddesses, specifically: Ninkasi , who covered the production of beer, Siris , who was used in a metonymic way to refer to beer, and Siduri , who covered the enjoyment of beer. In pre-industrial times, and in developing countries, women are frequently the main brewers. As almost any cereal containing certain sugars can undergo spontaneous fermentation due to wild yeasts in
6893-437: The brewer's intention for the beer. The beer is usually transferred into a second container, so that it is no longer exposed to the dead yeast and other debris (also known as " trub ") that have settled to the bottom of the primary fermenter. This prevents the formation of unwanted flavours and harmful compounds such as acetaldehyde . Kräusening (pronounced KROY -zen-ing ) is a conditioning method in which fermenting wort
SECTION 60
#17327754036987006-434: The brewing process. Malting is the process where barley grain is made ready for brewing. Malting is broken down into three steps in order to help to release the starches in the barley. First, during steeping, the grain is added to a vat with water and allowed to soak for approximately 40 hours. During germination , the grain is spread out on the floor of the germination room for around 5 days. The final part of malting
7119-511: The campaign revamped the brand's website, again aimed at a younger audience. The campaign was masterminded by Fallon Worldwide , although the contract was later taken up by the Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy agency, who devised the television campaign, which cost £ 3.5 million. According to Rob Flanagan, brand controller for Old Speckled Hen, the aim of the campaign was to attract up to 3 million new drinkers to
7232-461: The cask by being either poured from a tap by gravity, or pumped up from a cellar via a beer engine (hand pump). Sometimes a cask breather is used to keep the beer fresh by allowing carbon dioxide to replace oxygen as the beer is drawn off the cask. Until 2018, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) defined real ale as beer "served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide ", which would disallow
7345-495: The catchphrase "It's different, But it's not a hen", are shown eight times per hour after 9PM on weekdays. Greene King's marketing director said of the deal, "The fit between Dave and Old Speckled Hen is absolutely spot on. Both offer something a little different, witty, and quintessentially British". The Old Speckled Hen livery also appears on fifteen black cabs in the Central London area. Old Speckled Hen's advertising
7458-403: The cooled wort goes into a fermentation tank. A type of yeast is selected and added, or "pitched", to the fermentation tank. When the yeast is added to the wort, the fermenting process begins, where the sugars turn into alcohol, carbon dioxide and other components. When the fermentation is complete the brewer may rack the beer into a new tank, called a conditioning tank. Conditioning of the beer
7571-403: The development of glass vessels for storing and drinking beer, along with the commercial success of pale lager , which - due to the lagering process in which haze and particles settle to the bottom of the tank and so the beer " drops bright " (clears) - has a natural bright appearance and shine. There are several forms of filters; they may be in the form of sheets or "candles", or they may be
7684-505: The female flower clusters or seed cones of the hop vine Humulus lupulus , which are used as a flavouring and preservative agent in nearly all beer made today. Hops had been used for medicinal and food flavouring purposes since Roman times; by the 7th century in Carolingian monasteries in what is now Germany, beer was being made with hops, though it isn't until the thirteenth century that widespread cultivation of hops for use in beer
7797-404: The grains is rinsed off with hot water. The lauter tun is a tank with holes in the bottom small enough to hold back the large bits of grist and hulls (the ground or milled cereal). The bed of grist that settles on it is the actual filter. Some lauter tuns have provision for rotating rakes or knives to cut into the bed of grist to maintain good flow. The knives can be turned so they push the grain,
7910-519: The grains to extract additional sugars (a process known as sparging ). The wort is moved into a large tank known as a "copper" or kettle where it is boiled with hops and sometimes other ingredients such as herbs or sugars. This stage is where many chemical reactions take place, and where important decisions about the flavour, colour, and aroma of the beer are made. The boiling process serves to terminate enzymatic processes, precipitate proteins, isomerize hop resins , and concentrate and sterilize
8023-501: The hopped wort are separated out, usually in a vessel called a "whirlpool" or "settling tank". The whirlpool was devised by Henry Ranulph Hudston while working for the Molson Brewery in 1960 to utilise the so-called tea leaf paradox to force the denser solids known as "trub" (coagulated proteins, vegetable matter from hops) into a cone in the centre of the whirlpool tank. Whirlpool systems vary: smaller breweries tend to use
8136-419: The hops contact the hot wort. While a hopback has a similar filtering effect as a whirlpool, it operates differently: a whirlpool uses centrifugal forces, a hopback uses a layer of whole hops to act as a filter bed. Furthermore, while a whirlpool is useful only for the removal of pelleted hops (as flowers do not tend to separate as easily), in general hopbacks are used only for the removal of whole flower hops (as
8249-438: The labels of their beers. Morland acquired Field & Son brewery based at Shillingford near Wallingford . Thomas Skurray, at the age of 19, came with Field & Son. After 10 years at Abingdon Thomas Skurray was running everything apart from the offices. He was chairman of the board until his death in 1938 and was to build a new malthouse and a soft drinks factory. Thomas Skurray had a son, Thomas Edward Deane Skurray, who
8362-419: The light of what it called "foaming" sales of Old Speckled Hen in particular, it was expanding its brewing capacity, having previously been operating at 96% capacity. Fiona Hope, Greene King 's marketing director, speculated in April 2009 that Old Speckled Hen could follow GK's IPA and be made available in the so-called "dual pour font" whereby the tap version is available in two different styles, though this
8475-449: The modern era; after the widespread application of brewing mycology it was discovered that the two separate collecting methods involved two different yeast species that favoured different temperature regimes, namely Saccharomyces cerevisiae in top-cropping at warmer temperatures and Saccharomyces pastorianus in bottom-cropping at cooler temperatures. As brewing methods changed in the 20th century, cylindro-conical fermenting vessels became
8588-401: The most common a plate-style. Water or glycol run in channels in the opposite direction of the wort, causing a rapid drop in temperature. It is very important to quickly cool the wort to a level where yeast can be added safely as yeast is unable to grow in very high temperatures, and will start to die in temperatures above 60 °C (140 °F). After the wort goes through the heat exchanger,
8701-532: The next. Old Crafty was listed as number three in The Independent 's Top Ten Best Winter Ales . Old Golden Hen was launched in August 2011, it is a light golden ale. Crafted by the master brewer of "Old Speckled Hen", this light golden beer is brewed using pale malts and Tasmanian Galaxy hops giving a light golden colour. A year after being launched in 2011, Old Golden Hen won a Gold Quality Award at
8814-462: The nineteenth century the brewing industry has been part of most western economies. The basic ingredients of beer are water and a fermentable starch source such as malted barley . Most beer is fermented with a brewer's yeast and flavoured with hops . Less widely used starch sources include millet , sorghum and cassava . Secondary sources ( adjuncts ), such as maize (corn), rice, or sugar, may also be used, sometimes to reduce cost, or to add
8927-520: The norm and the collection of yeast for both Saccharomyces species is done from the bottom of the fermenter. Thus the method of collection no longer implies a species association. There are a few remaining breweries who collect yeast in the top-cropping method, such as Samuel Smiths brewery in Yorkshire, Marstons in Staffordshire and several German hefeweizen producers. For both types, yeast
9040-533: The oldest evidence of beer is believed to be a 6,000-year-old Sumerian tablet depicting people drinking a beverage through reed straws from a communal bowl . A 3900-year-old Sumerian poem honouring Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing, contains the oldest surviving beer recipe, describing the production of beer from barley via bread. The invention of bread and beer has been argued to be responsible for humanity's ability to develop technology and build civilization. The earliest chemically confirmed barley beer to date
9153-445: The particles left by pellets tend to make it through the hopback). The hopback has mainly been substituted in modern breweries by the whirlpool. After the whirlpool, the wort must be brought down to fermentation temperatures 20–26 °C (68–79 °F) before yeast is added. In modern breweries this is achieved through a plate heat exchanger . A plate heat exchanger has sereral ridged plates, which form two separate paths. The wort
9266-455: The process, and greater knowledge of the results. Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries . More than 133 billion litres (35 billion gallons) are sold per year—producing total global revenues of $ 294.5 billion (£147.7 billion) in 2006. The basic ingredients of beer are water;
9379-483: The process. In the modern mashing process, commercial fungal based β-glucanase may be added as a supplement. Finally, a mash rest temperature of 65–71 °C (149–160 °F) is used to convert the starches in the malt to sugar, which is then usable by the yeast later in the brewing process. Doing the latter rest at the lower end of the range favours β-amylase enzymes, producing more low-order sugars like maltotriose , maltose , and glucose which are more fermentable by
9492-641: The role of yeast in fermentation was understood, fermentation involved wild or airborne yeasts, and a few styles such as lambics still use this method today. Emil Christian Hansen , a Danish biochemist employed by the Carlsberg Laboratory , developed pure yeast cultures which were introduced into the Carlsberg brewery in 1883, and pure yeast strains are now the main fermenting source used worldwide. Some brewers add one or more clarifying agents to beer, which typically precipitate (collect as
9605-458: The sale of individual bottles and cans. In 2023, due to the increased production costs, the ABV content in both the bottled and canned versions of Old Speckled Hen was reduced from 5% to 4.8% ABV. According to the website, this was an attempt by Greene King to maintain customer affordability on the beer by paying less on the excise duty to accommodate the increased production costs, whilst still offering
9718-580: The same great taste. Old Speckled Hen was, in 2008 and 2009, rebranded to appeal to a younger audience. As part of this, Greene King, through the Speckled Hen brand, has embarked on a marketing campaign involving sponsorship by the Northamptonshire and Derbyshire County Cricket Clubs and, most notably, the digital television channel Dave . The ten-second adverts, which portray a "crafty fox" seeking out an "elusive hen" and feature
9831-585: The seaweed kappaphycus ; polyclar (a commercial brand of clarifier); and gelatin . If a beer is marked "suitable for Vegans", it was generally clarified either with seaweed or with artificial agents, although the "Fast Cask" method invented by Marston's in 2009 may provide another method. There are several steps in the brewing process, which may include malting, mashing, lautering, boiling , fermenting , conditioning , filtering , and packaging . The brewing equipment needed to make beer has grown more sophisticated over time, and now covers most aspects of
9944-406: The separation of the wort (the liquid containing the sugar extracted during mashing) from the grains. This is done either in a mash tun outfitted with a false bottom, in a lauter tun, or in a mash filter. Most separation processes have two stages: first wort run-off, during which the extract is separated in an undiluted state from the spent grains, and sparging , in which extract which remains with
10057-462: The starches released during the malting stage into sugars that can be fermented. The milled grain is mixed with hot water in a large vessel known as a mash tun . In this vessel, the grain and water are mixed together to create a cereal mash. During the mash, naturally occurring enzymes present in the malt convert the starches (long chain carbohydrates) in the grain into smaller molecules or simple sugars (mono-, di-, and tri-saccharides). This "conversion"
10170-429: The steam created during the boil is passed over a coil through which unheated water flows. By adjusting the rate of flow, the output temperature of the water can be controlled. This is also often done using a plate heat exchanger. The water is then stored for later use in the next mash, in equipment cleaning, or wherever necessary. Another common method of energy recovery takes place during the wort cooling. When cold water
10283-421: The structure. Newer mash filters have bladders that can press the liquid out of the grains between spargings. The grain does not act like a filtration medium in a mash filter. After mashing, the beer wort is boiled with hops (and other flavourings if used) in a large tank known as a "copper" or brew kettle – though historically the mash vessel was used and is still in some small breweries. The boiling process
10396-474: The supply of pure cultured yeast to brewers across Europe. This yeast strain was originally classified as Saccharomyces carlsbergensis , a now defunct species name which has been superseded by the currently accepted taxonomic classification Saccharomyces pastorianus . Lambic beers are historically brewed in Brussels and the nearby Pajottenland region of Belgium without any yeast inoculation. The wort
10509-464: The tastes and aromas of the original Old Speckled Hen but with low ABV. The gluten free beer is brewed with its usual quality ingredients and to its normal recipe, with the reduction in gluten content achieved through an innovation in the brewing process. A bespoke product stream ensures the beers remain segregated and guarantees that they can be designated as gluten free. The latest addition to Greene King's range of Hen beers, this limited edition ale
10622-481: The unfermented (or "green") wort , as the whirlpool does, and also to increase hop aroma in the finished beer. It is a chamber between the brewing kettle and wort chiller. Hops are added to the chamber, the hot wort from the kettle is run through it, and then immediately cooled in the wort chiller before entering the fermentation chamber. Hopbacks utilizing a sealed chamber facilitate maximum retention of volatile hop aroma compounds that would normally be driven off when
10735-579: The use of a cask breather, a policy which was reversed in April 2018 to allow beer served with the use of cask breathers to meet its definition of real ale. Barrel-ageing ( US: Barrel aging) is the process of ageing beer in wooden barrels to achieve a variety of effects in the final product. Sour beers such as lambics are fully fermented in wood, while other beers are aged in barrels which were previously used for maturing wines or spirits . In 2016 "Craft Beer and Brewing" wrote: "Barrel-aged beers are so trendy that nearly every taphouse and beer store has
10848-400: The vessels make the risk of infection greater, but with proper cleaning procedures and careful protocol about who enters fermentation chambers, the risk can be well controlled. Fermentation tanks are typically made of stainless steel. If they are simple cylindrical tanks with beveled ends, they are arranged vertically, as opposed to conditioning tanks which are usually laid out horizontally. Only
10961-436: The weekend of the actual anniversary. After the MG factory closed in 1980, production declined and Old Speckled Hen was almost exclusively available only in pubs operated by Morland due to financial constraints and a different direction being taken by the brewery , which believed its future lay in the production of lager . Within a few years, Morland began to re-explore ale production, reviving Old Speckled Hen and launching
11074-400: The wort is cooled and aerated – usually with sterile air – yeast is added to it, and it begins to ferment. It is during this stage that sugars won from the malt are converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide , and the product can be called beer for the first time. Most breweries today use cylindroconical vessels, or CCVs, which have a conical bottom and a cylindrical top. The cone's angle
11187-421: The wort where the flame touches the kettle, causing caramelisation and making cleanup difficult. Most breweries use a steam-fired kettle, which uses steam jackets in the kettle to boil the wort. Breweries usually have a boiling unit either inside or outside of the kettle, usually a tall, thin cylinder with vertical tubes, called a calandria, through which wort is pumped. At the end of the boil, solid particles in
11300-445: The wort. Hops add flavour, aroma and bitterness to the beer. At the end of the boil, the hopped wort settles to clarify in a vessel called a "whirlpool", where the more solid particles in the wort are separated out. After the whirlpool, the wort is drawn away from the compacted hop trub, and rapidly cooled via a heat exchanger to a temperature where yeast can be added. A variety of heat exchanger designs are used in breweries, with
11413-419: The yeast used by Brasserie Dupont for saison ferments even higher at 29 to 35 °C (84 to 95 °F). They generally form a foam on the surface of the fermenting beer, which is called barm , as during the fermentation process its hydrophobic surface causes the flocs to adhere to CO 2 and rise; because of this, they are often referred to as "top-cropping" or "top-fermenting" – though this distinction
11526-427: The yeast. The process of storing, or conditioning, or maturing, or aging a beer at a low temperature for a long period is called "lagering", and while it is associated with lagers, the process may also be done with ales, with the same result – that of cleaning up various chemicals, acids and compounds. During secondary fermentation, most of the remaining yeast will settle to the bottom of the second fermenter, yielding
11639-415: The yeasts classed as top-fermenting are generally used in warm fermentations, where they ferment quickly, and the yeasts classed as bottom-fermenting are used in cooler fermentations where they ferment more slowly. Yeast were termed top or bottom cropping, because the yeast was collected from the top or bottom of the fermenting wort to be reused for the next brew. This terminology is somewhat inappropriate in
11752-739: Was a partner in a company called Theobold & Skurray, a company of Architects. Deane was responsible for the building of many new pubs in the 1930s: The Saxton Arms, Abingdon; the Ox, Oxford Road, Abingdon; the Royal Oak, Didcot; the Old White Hart at Hook; the New Inn at Longworth and the Bystander at Wootton, Abingdon, also looking after over 300 other Morland pubs & hotels. Morland bought more breweries: In 1944, United-Breweries became
11865-532: Was based in Northampton, and office in the old malthouse. Old Speckled Hen beer was first brewed by Morland in 1979 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory there on 30 November 1979. Other variations launched by Greene King include Old Hoppy Hen, Old Crafty Hen, Old Golden Hen. Morland Original, Hen's Tooth and Tanner's Jack are also still brewed under Greene King of Bury St Edmunds by Morland's Brewing. Brewing Brewing
11978-433: Was brewed at a gravity of 1050 to denote the 50th anniversary. Twenty-five barrels, 1200 dozen half-pints bottles, were produced, mostly for the promotional activities at MG, but also for limited distribution to Morland houses in the Abingdon area. What had been produced as a one-off celebration brew, proved so popular that a second batch had to be brewed in time for the main celebrations which were to be held in Abingdon over
12091-468: Was demolished when the company built a large air-conditioned draught beer warehouse. A lot of the brewery buildings are still standing. The big Malthouse which became Morland's offices and stores. Old malthouse cottages where Mr A.J.Steele signwriter painted the Breweries pub signs. And another part of a malthouse is used as the joiner's shop and a paint store. Bell Amusements a subsidiary of Morland owned
12204-599: Was discovered at Godin Tepe in the central Zagros Mountains of Iran, where fragments of a jug, at least 5,000 years old was found to be coated with beerstone , a by-product of the brewing process. Beer may have been known in Neolithic Europe as far back as 5,000 years ago, and was mainly brewed on a domestic scale. Ale produced before the Industrial Revolution continued to be made and sold on
12317-651: Was known as ale, while beer flavoured with hops was known as beer. Some beers today, such as Fraoch by the Scottish Heather Ales company and Cervoise Lancelot by the French Brasserie-Lancelot company, use plants other than hops for flavouring. Hops contain several characteristics that brewers desire in beer: they contribute a bitterness that balances the sweetness of the malt; they provide floral, citrus, and herbal aromas and flavours; they have an antibiotic effect that favours
12430-605: Was originated by (now defunct) Saatchi Group agency, RPG in 1987. Terry Symonds, head of RPG Design, designed the new label which was based on the MG Octagon to show the link between MG and Morland. After having researched the brand, he discovered that landlords were often asked about the name, so he suggested carrying a label on the reverse of the bottle, that would tell the story. Terry and his team were responsible for rebranding bitter as 1711 (the year of Morland's foundation) and best bitter as 'Old Masters' (a nod to George Morland,
12543-724: Was sent from the Spaten brewery in Munich to the Carlsberg brewery in Copenhagen in 1845 who began brewing with it. In 1883 Emile Hansen completed a study on pure yeast culture isolation and the pure strain obtained from Spaten went into industrial production in 1884 as Carlsberg yeast No 1. Another specialized pure yeast production plant was installed at the Heineken Brewery in Rotterdam the following year and together they began
12656-469: Was sold to Greene King brewery. This led to the closure of the Abingdon brewery and the transfer of production to Bury St. Edmunds . The Morland's sign, showing an artist with his palette, commemorated George Morland who was a noted artist and painter. "Artist's Keg" bitter was also brewed during the 1980s and 1990s. These can still be seen today on many old Morland public houses . In 1991, Morland and Co plc purchased 101 pubs from Courage Ltd and
12769-469: Was unconfirmed. Old Speckled Hen is available in bottles, cans, casks, and kegs. The alcohol by volume of both the canned and bottled versions is 4.8%, making it a relatively strong, premium ale, however, the cask version was reduced from 5.2% to 4.5% ABV in 2006 to make it more of a "sessionable beer ", resulting in a 60% increase in availability. Upon acquiring Morland, Greene King almost immediately decided to place emphasis on multi packs, rather than
#697302