Bishop Nick Alcohol-Free Beers
One Bishop Nick beer in our directory: Martyr 0.5, a 0.5% American pale ale that Bishop Nick sells as vegan and gluten free. We haven’t scored it yet.
Bishop Nick is a family brewery in Braintree, Essex, that Nelion Ridley started in 2011. It’s a new brewery, separate from Ridley’s, the brewery his family ran for six generations until it was sold in 2005. Its one alcohol-free beer is Martyr 0.5, an American-style pale ale.
- Founded: 2011, in Felsted; in Braintree since 2013
- Founder: Nelion Ridley
- Family history: The Ridleys ran a different brewery, Ridley’s, from 1842 until it was sold in 2005
- Company: Bishop Nick Limited, Braintree
- Named after: Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, burned at the stake in 1555
- Owner: Independent: a family company, with Ridleys as its directors
- Alcohol-free beer: Martyr 0.5, a 0.5% American pale ale, vegan and gluten free (Bishop Nick)
- In the UK: Dry Drinker and Bishop Nick’s own shop
Who are Bishop Nick?
Bishop Nick is a new brewery, but the family behind it isn’t new to brewing. In 1842 Thomas Dixon Ridley built a brewery on the banks of the River Chelmer, and six generations of his family ran it until Ridley’s was sold to Greene King in 2005. Six years later Nelion Ridley, the son of Ridley’s last chairman, started a new, separate brewery, Bishop Nick, in Felsted, “in Ridley heartland”, as it puts it, and moved it to Braintree in 2013.
The name comes from Nicholas Ridley, who became Bishop of London in 1550. He questioned the Pope’s supremacy, was imprisoned in the Tower of London and tried for heresy, and in 1555, under Mary I, he was burned at the stake. “He died a Martyr in Oxford on October 16,” the brewery says, and its Martyr beers carry his story: the full-strength Martyr, a 4.5% American IPA, is “dedicated to our uncompromising Bishop”.
Is Bishop Nick independent?
Yes, as far as the public record shows. It’s a family company, Bishop Nick Limited, and its directors are all Ridleys. We found no stake by a larger brewer.
The alcohol-free beer
Martyr 0.5 is Bishop Nick’s only alcohol-free beer: “a bold, alcohol-free pale ale with US hops leading the way”, with “a delicate floral nose and spicy bitterness balanced by a sweet malt core”, the brewery says. It comes in 500ml bottles, and Bishop Nick says it’s vegan friendly and gluten free. It doesn’t name the hops or publish the ingredients or a calorie figure. Bishop Nick also sells a mixed case with three bottles of Martyr 0.5 and nine of its full-strength beers.
The Bishop Nick beer in our directory
Checked October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.
Where to buy Bishop Nick alcohol-free
On 26 October 2026 Dry Drinker had Martyr 0.5 in cases of 6, 12 and 24 bottles, from £21.14 for six; that link is an affiliate link. Bishop Nick’s own shop sells a case of 12 for £31.49. We didn’t find it at Wise Bartender or the supermarkets we could check. For more beers like it, see our guide to the best alcohol-free pale ales.
Facts checked against Bishop Nick’s website and shop, Companies House, Wikipedia’s history of Ridley’s, Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender, October 2026.
Bishop Nick Beers in Our Directory
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