Spanish brewer Damm buys Old Speckled Hen ale from Greene King

Greene King has agreed to sell its Old Speckled Hen ale brands to the Spanish owner of Estrella lager, marking the latest foreign acquisition of a British beer.

Barcelona-based brewer Damm will acquire the Old Speckled Hen brands, including its non-alcoholic and golden ale versions.

Greene King said it will continue brewing the ale at its Westgate facility in Bury St Edmunds during a handover period before production moves to Damm’s Bedford brewery, which opened last year.

Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of the 227-year-old pub chain, said the company was “delighted to have secured a partner in Estrella Damm who will continue to brew the ales in the UK”.

The companies did not disclose the sale value but said Old Speckled Hen beers will remain available in Greene King pubs, major UK supermarkets and the off-trade after completion.

Greene King said it plans to concentrate on selling its beers in its own pubs and the UK on-trade, moving away from off-trade sales.

Old Speckled Hen, owned by Greene King since 1999, becomes the latest British beer brand purchased by a foreign drinks group.

In 2015, Camden Town Brewery agreed to a takeover by AB InBev, the Belgian owner of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s, in a deal valued at about £85 million.

That same year, SAB Miller, brewer of Peroni and Miller, agreed to buy London’s Meantime Brewing Company. AB InBev later acquired SAB Miller.

In 2019, British pub chain Fuller, Smith & Turner accepted a £250 million offer from Japanese beer group Asahi for its entire drinks business, including flagship London Pride ale.

This year, US drinks company Molson Coors said it would shut the Cornish brewery producing Doom Bar ale, citing it was “no longer financially sustainable”, and plans to close the site by year-end.

Molson Coors also makes Madrí Excepcional, marketed as “the soul of Madrid” but brewed in Tadcaster, Yorkshire.

The boss of Estrella Damm, headquartered in Barcelona and family-controlled, told the Sunday Times that Madrí had “no heritage whatsoever”.

Demetrio Carceller Arce, the billionaire who inherited the business from his father, told the paper last year: “One hundred per cent respect for the idea of coming up with Madrid, without a D at the end, which is fantastic. [But] Madrí is a brand that is created. There is no heritage whatsoever. We have a superior product.”

Several popular Spanish beers sold in the UK are brewed domestically, including San Miguel (made by Carlsberg in Northampton) and Cruzcampo (brewed by Heineken in Manchester).

Luke White, managing director of Damm UK, said: “Old Speckled Hen is an iconic British ale brand with a rich heritage and loyal following … The brand not only complements the current portfolio range by adding another category to our offering but it also reconnects the Damm Eagle Brewery to its historic British beer and ale production roots.”