None The Less: A New Series, Built for the Pub

Not every great beer needs to be an event. Some of the best pints are simply that: proper, well-made beer that earns its place on the bar. That's the thinking behind our new series, Nonetheless.

Pubs and bars have had a tough few years, and we wanted to do something about it from the brewing side. Nonetheless has been designed from the outset to be the most competitively priced beer in our range, without cutting corners on flavour. The first orders go out this week, timed to tie in with Cask Ale Week, which runs from 17 to 27 September.

Rather than launching the whole range in one go, we're releasing Nonetheless one beer at a time, roughly once a month. Each shares the same base recipe, built on the characterful maltiness of Maris Otter, with a rotating single hop or hop pairing on top. We've steered away from the hops most associated with modern craft beer, Citra and Mosaic and their like, in favour of varieties and pairings you don't see much of in the current scene.

First up is a 3.8% Challenger Pale, brewed with Maris Otter and Challenger hops. It's a modern take on a British classic: soft orange marmalade, gentle hedgerow fruit and a touch of spice over a smooth malt base, finishing clean and effortlessly drinkable. An Ernest Pale and a First Gold Pale will follow later in the year.

The look of the range takes its cue from the past too. The starting point was an old pump clip from Stancliffe Brothers, a long-closed Macclesfield brewery, and its dense, text-heavy style became the template for the new artwork. Jon Pink, our original designer who also worked on the recent Feckless redesign, has brought it to life: a deliberately old-school clip that nods to the pumps of decades past rather than the minimal, illustration-led look most modern beers go for.

Having run our own pubs in Macclesfield and Buxton for over a decade, we know exactly how much value matters at the bar, and Nonetheless has been priced with that firmly in mind. As Toby McKenzie, our head brewer and co-founder, puts it: "We want pubs to stay open, and that means giving licensees a beer that's affordable to pour and accessible to as many people as possible. A few pints at the local shouldn't feel out of reach for people."

Nonetheless will be pouring on cask across our venues, starting with the Challenger Pale for Cask Ale Week. Pubs and bars interested in stocking it can get in touch with our sales team at sales@redwillowbrewery.com.

Nonetheless, still a proper pint.