Old Spanish Hen? Estrella owner buys Greene King ale brand

Pub chain Greene King has agreed to sell its Old Speckled Hen ale brands to the Spanish owner of Estrella lager, making it the latest in a series of British beers to be snapped up by overseas buyers. Barcelona-based brewer Damm has agreed to buy Old Speckled Hen brands, including its non-alcoholic and golden ale versions. Greene King said it would continue to brew the ale at its Westgate site in Bury St Edmunds during the sale “handover period”, but that the process will later move to Damm’s brewery in Bedford, which it opened last year. Nick Mackenzie, the 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 value of the sale, but said after the deal is complete, Old Speckled Hen beers will still be available in Greene King pubs, as well as major supermarkets in the UK and in the off-trade. Greene King said it planned to focus on selling its beers in its own pubs and UK on trade, moving away from the off trade. Old Speckled Hen, which has been owned by Greene King since 1999, is the latest British beer to be bought by a foreign drinks group. In 2015, Camden Town Brewery agreed to a takeover by AB InBev , the Belgian company behind Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s, in a deal worth about £85m. That year, SAB Miller, the drinks group which brewed Peroni and Miller, also agreed to buy London’s Meantime Brewing Company. …