I never intended for life beers to turn to train beers so quickly but sometimes life (beers) doesn't turn out the way you planned. I'm heading to Piccadilly Station to traverse home to Heaton Chapel. I could have reviewed the outstanding Ice Cream Pale (Buxton / Omnipollo) I enjoyed in my native Heaton Hops over the weekend. I could have reviewed a pre-train half in the Piccadilly approach enlivening Piccadilly Tap. My choices would have been rich. But no, I'm in Waitrose NEXT to Piccadilly Tap. There's 25 minutes 'til my train departs and I'm plotting pre-departure tiltage down the dark end of the furthermost carriage.
Better options aside, Piccadilly Approach Waitrose is good for at least one thing: £1.88 chilled to perfection bottles of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Ideal for the discerning train drinker on a budget. One of the most prominent beers at the dawn, at least my personal dawn circa early 2000s, of the US>UK "craft beer invasion" (or trickle). Brooklyn, Goose Island, Sierra Nevada. That's how it went. Some throw stones at Sierra Nevada Pale Ale these days, as they do the aforementioned. Some say it's not the beer it once was. More likely our tastebuds have moved on since we tasted SNPA back on craft day dot. It no longer packs the hop hit it once did. But it's still good. It's not like crazy good but it's chilled to perf and it was £1.88. It's an excellent short distance train beer (10 mins roughly). It's also an excellent pre-payday warm-up slightly worn-down beer.
Piccadilly Tap aside, who do do takeout beers with heavy train beer overtones, this is your best within-spitting-distance-of-Piccadilly-Station chill-ready beer option. F scaling the escalator to Marks & Spencer's only to find that they don't carry the better beers you've seen in larger M&S's. Forget Sainsbury's Local who refuse, even when tweeted at, to put Brewdog Punk IPA in their fridges. FYI Waitrose sport Punk IPA in their chillers at the same price point as Sierra Nevada, £1.88. Sierra Nevada is just better though, no challenge. If Waitrose put their 500ml bottles of Oakham Citra (sub-£2, occasionally 3 for £5) in the fridge we'd be tempted to switch allegiance, but not at room temp. I’m happy to say that I'm Sierra Nevada Pale Ale 'til I die...or at least alight.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale may or may not have paired well with reduced Jamie Oliver Hot-Smoked Super Salmon Flatbread from Boots (£1). You’ll always find me in the reduced counter at parties.
Sierra Nevada // 355ml Bottle // Waitrose, Piccadilly Approach // £1.88
Read the first instalment of Life Beers 'Stout and About' here.
