BEER REVIEW: 444
BREWER: Morland, Oxfordshire, England
STYLE: Light Ale
ABV: 3.4%
VESSEL: 500ml clear bottle
DATE OF POST: 10th April 2026
SAMMY SAY’S…
Old Session Hen arrived in the coop one dull afternoon, a bottle left carelessly near the wire where the tired old hen liked to scratch. She had little else to occupy her days, so she regarded the beer with the same resigned curiosity she gave to every small novelty that broke the monotony of her cage.
She leaned in first, giving it a tentative sniff. A faint floral note drifted up, light as a rumour of spring she’d never actually experienced. There was a touch of malt, a hint of salt, but everything so subtle it felt like the beer was afraid to make a fuss. She understood that feeling all too well.
When she finally tasted it, the first thing she noticed was a soft butteriness. Pleasant enough, but it faded quickly into something thin and almost lagery. The flavour didn’t linger or deepen. It simply existed, mild and unremarkable, like another day of scratching the same patch of ground. Drinkable, certainly, but not something she’d cluck about.
The mouthfeel didn’t help its case. It slipped away quickly, leaving no impression at all. Even the packaging seemed half‑hearted, promising more character than the beer ever delivered. She eyed the label and shook her head. Naming a beer Old Session Hen wasn’t even bold, but the drink itself didn’t have the grit or personality to live up to the title. If anything, it felt like a distant cousin who’d never worked a day in the coop.
Still, she wasn’t entirely unkind. Life in a cage had taught her to appreciate even the smallest diversions. And this had given her something to ponder while she mulled over her existence and the rhythm of her own tired claws.
In the end, it was a beer that went down easily enough but left her feeling the same as before: thoughtful, slightly disappointed, and ready to return to her quiet scratching. It was, she decided, the very definition of meh. But on a slow day in a small cage, even meh was something.
Sammy’s Rating: 45%
JYMI SAY’S…
Ok, let’s start with the negatives…
The name of this beer is just annoying. I mean it describes what the beer is about well and does fit in line with Morland’s hen thing (honestly, what is that all about? Old Speckled Hen was a flippin’ car!), but overall for me anyway, it’s just an irritating name.
Also, the packaging is just shocking. Only slightly saved by MORLAND being embossed on the bottle, over all this clear bottle containing golden liquid just looks cheap, tacky and dated.
To conclude the negs, this beer ain’t great.
To begin the positives, this beer is surprisingly ok and fairly drinkable!
The nose is FANTASTIC!
Sorry, for me, the nose is just a wonderful trip back in time. It’s actually quite cheap and artificial but, there is something about it that I Iove! It’s tangy, full and defo reminds me a having a sip of my Dad’s pint when I was like 7 or something (so mid 80s).
To the taste… seeing that OSH is only 3.4% there is a surprising amount of body and taste. Also, somehow it doesn’t fall off a cliff in the aftertaste.
There is not much more to say really as the brew kinda does nothing, but seeing what this beer is, it is perfectly drinkable with Morland nailing the USP to be fair to them.
Jymi’s Rating: 50%
MUSE ON BOOZE RATING: 47.5%
MOB review next weekend: PEAR & VANILLA SWIRL by VAULT CITY
Sammy & Jymi – Musing on Booze weekly since 2017
Bluesky: @museonbooze.bsky.social
Instagram: muse.on.booze
museonbooze.com
M O B 2026
MUSE ON BOOZE 