I din't know about the link with Owld Speckled ‘Un

It’s our local Steam Fair at Stithians, West Cornwall this weekend which reminded me of the one we went to a couple of years back; A guy was showing his chrome bumper’ed MGB Roadster which was he had restored and was in cracking nick; on the prop tunnel behind the gearstick was a beer handpull with an Old Speckled Hen badge which looked very strange.

I asked him about it and he gave me “which I thought at the time” was a cock-n-bull story or “an old speckled hen & bull story” about the MG factory, Green King Brewery at Abingdon and an old factory run around van which was nicknamed the Owld Speckled ‘Un. I thought the guy was joking about the story and he was just a real ale fan “like myself”

I have just goggled it and it’s true:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Speckled_Hen

http://www2.beerguild.co.uk/?p=2757

http://www.mgaroadster.co.uk/speckled_hen__the_mg_beer.htm

Now I can see the link with the octagon Old Speckled Hen logo and the MG logo.

So the Steam Fair tomorrow and if I see the MG guy in the beer tent I will buy him a pint “Old Speckled Hen of course”

Oh yeah! Not many car manufacturers have a famous beer in their history!

Now days it's more likely to be Yanging Beer, sadly. Or old Speckled Panda (bear)

Richard

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Ahh - great story - never knew about that!

Kinda explains how this came about then:



:beer:

I think the explanation of the origin of the 'Old Speckled Un' is not correct. I did a lot of research into this during the MG Quiz era and it has become one of those common misconceptions which just gets repeated so many times people believe it to be true. The car did not become splattered with paint because it was parked near the paint shop window or any other sort of odd explanation. It looked like that because it was originally produced with this very distinctive paint finish.

In 1927, MG produced a one off prototype - a four seater saloon with a fabric body painted gold and curiously stippled with black. The car was kept as a run-around when the factory moved to Abingdon in 1929. The car's distinctive colouring led locals to name it 'Old Speckled Un'. Word of mouth changed this over time to 'Old Speckled Hen'.

Period photo of the original - 'Old Speckled Un'




Morland brewers, produced this 'replica' car.




In 1979 MG celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the Abingdon factory and to commemorate the event asked Morland to brew a special beer. In fond memory of the old factory car, Morland named the new ale 'Old Speckled Hen'.
Today MG enthusiasts still endorse the link with 'Old Speckled Hen' and every year over 100 MG cars gather at the old factory site to take part in the 'Old Speckled Hen' Tour around Oxfordshire.

I've got a bottle of last years MGB50 stashed away.