Country of Origin: Great Britain
New feature:
If you recommend a beer to me, and I am able to acquire some for reviewing, and you have a website for which you'd like some extra traffic, I will give you thanks and a link back to your site.
Drawbacks to this feature:
- I can't always acquire the beers people recommend. Some of them simply aren't available or shippable to this part of the country.
- If I hate the beer you've recommended, are you really going to want a link back?
So I don't know how well this will work out in the long run, but, fortunately, in this case, it worked out well.
Recommended by: ska-t
Availability: The IHOD had it in bottles, all right, but I had to drive to Vernon to get it in cans.
Price comparison: Around the same price as everyday beer.
Alcohol percentage by volume: 5.2%
Cute bottle/label? The IHOD had clear glass bottles with octagonal white labels, either a single 25 ouncer or a four-pack of standards. The cans, which are a light beige, are not available at the IHOD.
You may wonder why I'm harping on the difference here. Read on.
Appearance: Out of the bottle: dark reddish. The head fizzled out almost immediately. Out of the can: glowing clear copper, with the cascading nitro head of a good stout, settling to clear and bubbly with a nice creamy topping.
Scent: From the nitro can, somewhat sweet, yet a touch of alcohol at the same time, like cough drops.
And here is the main reason I have been harping on the differences ...
From the clear glass bottle: SKUNK.
Flavor: From the nitro can: cream and vanilla with a background of banana and brown sugar and a crisp, lightly bitter finish. The mouthfeel of a stout with the flavor of a fine pale ale.
From the bottle: SOUR. Not pleasant.
Impressions: I had a helluva time with this one, as it had been recommended by someone whose opinion I respect, and my first encounter with it, in the bottle, was so unpleasant I was terrified to give it another go. However, I really felt that I couldn't review it in good conscience unless I gave it the benefit of the doubt, and I'm glad I did. The nitro cans, while not as conveniently available as the bottles to me, make Old Speckled Hen eminently drinkable, whereas the clear glass bottles, a bad idea in any case, caused my first experience to be a scary one. I'm grateful I was able to get past it without trauma.
Will I buy this beer again? Only in the nitro can. I not only do not recommend the bottled, I heartily advise against it. The can, on the other hand, rocks my world.
Rating:
3½ out of 5 cute beer glasses for the canned version only
Reviewed: November 5, 2003
