About
in 1842 Thomas Dixon Ridley built his brewery on the banks of the River Chelmer. It was here that the Ridleys’ great tradition of brewing was born. The brewery thrived and Ridley’s beer was enjoyed at inns from Southend to Saffron Walden. Over the next 163 years six generations of Ridleys honed their skills and perfected their palettes to bring the people of Essex the best local brews, until the brewery was sold in 2005. In 2012 Nelion Ridley takes up the mantle once more, and with his craft brewery ‘Bishop Nick’, is devoted to keeping Essex ales sacred.
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7.5
Texture 7
Overall 6
Tried
from Bottle
on 02 Aug 2025
at 17:44
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
9th July 2025
Bright clear burnishes gold beer, good bubbly cream colour head. Airy palate, smooth and semi dry, decent fine carbonation. Thin bodied pale malts, a modest sweetness. Jester and Harlequin bring light pine, mild bitterness, a kinda rubbery skunk, light tangy tropical fruits and ephemeral touches of lime and apricot. Light semi dry finish. Nice English apa.
Bright clear burnishes gold beer, good bubbly cream colour head. Airy palate, smooth and semi dry, decent fine carbonation. Thin bodied pale malts, a modest sweetness. Jester and Harlequin bring light pine, mild bitterness, a kinda rubbery skunk, light tangy tropical fruits and ephemeral touches of lime and apricot. Light semi dry finish. Nice English apa.
Tried
on 12 Jul 2025
at 12:47
7.6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
9th July 2025
Clear bright amber beer, tidy pale tan head. Smooth palate, mildly dry, decent fine carbonation. Smooth malts, a mild touch of malt cream and an even milder touch of unsweet toffee. Ripe fruits with nice edges of English hops orchard fruits and berry fruits. Light and semi dry finish. A typically clean and tasty affair from Bishops Nick these days. To think there was a time when I actively avoided this brewery.
Clear bright amber beer, tidy pale tan head. Smooth palate, mildly dry, decent fine carbonation. Smooth malts, a mild touch of malt cream and an even milder touch of unsweet toffee. Ripe fruits with nice edges of English hops orchard fruits and berry fruits. Light and semi dry finish. A typically clean and tasty affair from Bishops Nick these days. To think there was a time when I actively avoided this brewery.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Jul 2025
at 12:40
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
9th July 2025
Bright clear gold beer, small bubbly pale cream colour head. Airy palate, semi dry, decent fine carbonation. Thin bodied pale malts, a nice light touch of natural grain and a very light creamy sweetness. The Kiwi hop duo bring light cooling pine and a mild. Soft and slightly ripe citrus and tropical fruits, a nice winey vibe but also a little ripe. Mild candy fruits on the light and semi dry finish. Nice brew although, not quite what I was expecting from these 2 hops. Smooth and tasty.
Bright clear gold beer, small bubbly pale cream colour head. Airy palate, semi dry, decent fine carbonation. Thin bodied pale malts, a nice light touch of natural grain and a very light creamy sweetness. The Kiwi hop duo bring light cooling pine and a mild. Soft and slightly ripe citrus and tropical fruits, a nice winey vibe but also a little ripe. Mild candy fruits on the light and semi dry finish. Nice brew although, not quite what I was expecting from these 2 hops. Smooth and tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Jul 2025
at 12:36
6.3/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6.5
Flavor 6.5
Texture 6
Overall 6
19/2/2017. Cask at the New Inn, Colchester. Pours copper with a small white head. Aroma of caramel, biscuit and hop. Moderate sweetness with medium bitterness. Medium body and slight oily texture. Carbonation is average. Also 9/5/2025 for photo.
Tried
from Cask
at
New Inn
on 09 May 2025
at 12:12
6.3/10
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Appearance 7
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 7
Overall 6
I bet Jeremy Paxman didn't have many starters before ten. This is mine, albeit with a Wetherspoon breakfast alongside. Steady golden brew, good hoppiness, does a job.
Tried
from Cask
at
Wetherspoons
on 29 Mar 2025
at 10:39
6.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Sample on cask at the red ♌ n jdw
Medium creamy white head.
Clear pale golden pour. Light bitterness
Medium creamy white head.
Clear pale golden pour. Light bitterness
Tried
from Cask
at
The Red Lion
on 20 Jan 2025
at 17:54
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Shared with Dan and Grumbo. Aroma of caramel, grass, wheat and fruits. A dry fruity taste comes through. A nice beer.
Tried
on 12 Jan 2025
at 11:06
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Sample courtesy of Grumbo, cheers. Aroma of soreen, toffee, whiskey and caramel. Can really taste the alcohol, like the hit of a short mixed in with the caramel and toffee. Really smooth, long finish. This is really good.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Jan 2025
at 11:06