Ridley's brewery
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| Ridley's Brewery | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk |
| Owner(s) | Greene King |
| Year opened | 1842 |
| Active beers | |
| Old Bob | English Bitter |
| Ridley's IPA | English IPA |
Contents |
[edit] Location and history
The Ridley's Brewery was originally based in Hartford End, Essex. In August 2002 the Ridley's brewery bought out Tolly Cobbold. The company is currently owned by Greene King but the executive chairman is Nicholas Ridley, who is great-great-grandson of Thomas Dixon Ridley, the founder of the Ridley's brewery. Nicholas' son Nelion is marketing manager.
In 2005 the brewery was bought by Greene King and dismantled before, many claim, the recipes for the traditional Ridley's beers could be sufficiently recorded by their new owner. As a result of the buyout, Tolly Original, the only Tolly Cobbold beer that Ridley's continued to brew in Chelmsford, is likely to become extinct since Greene King is unlikely to continue brewing it.
[edit] Notable beers
[edit] Beers brewed under the Ridley's banner
- Old Bob - Still popular in Essex despite the beer's new journey from Bury St Edmunds; it is 5.1% and available both on cask and bottled.
- Ridley's IPA - A beer on the verge of extinction, this 3.5% IPA is now only seen in former Ridley's "tied houses" (i.e. those that were owned by the Ridley's brewery before the Greene King takeover). It is unknown how much longer this beer will be available.
- Ridleys ESX -A stronger best bitter that appears to have died after the takeover by Greene King.
[edit] Beers brewed under the Tolly Cobbold banner
- Tolly Original - A version of "Tolly Cobbold Best Bitter" which has changed hands at least twice and is now merely an average 3.8% session bitter.
