The UK’s hop-forward beer scene spent years racing towards increasingly intense haze and alcohol levels. RedWillow largely ignored the arms race and concentrated on making beautifully balanced beer instead.

Founded in Cheshire, the brewery quickly developed a reputation for clean, modern pale ales, lagers and hop-forward beers that prioritise drinkability as much as flavour. The flagship Faithless remains one of the better examples of how much character a lower-strength pale ale can carry when it is brewed properly.

The beers tend to show restraint in all the right places. Plenty of citrus, tropical fruit and floral hop character, but usually with crisp bitterness and solid malt structure underneath. The lagers are equally strong, often demonstrating the sort of technical precision that good breweries quietly take pride in.

There is a slightly European sensibility running through much of the range. Even the more modern styles rarely feel excessive or one-dimensional.

What makes RedWillow particularly easy to recommend is consistency. The beers rarely chase trends desperately. They simply remain reliably good, which turns out to be a remarkably effective long-term strategy.