Historic Hemorrhage, from the Rogue's notebook

Sun crackin' through. Morning of departure; overcast and light winds across the mouth of
Cape Isle of Wight Bay. 11/23/2018

   Surf has been calm recently. Water temps in the mid-50's. Any weekend surf yet? No. With existing schedules, it's been tough. Excuses, excuses. A shame is what it is. Look for other ways to get fired up. Thanksgiving weekend; our anniversary and an excursion to Williamsburg. Was a History Minor in college, so I'm always stoked to head down South into Virginia's Tidewater region.

Somebody save us, somebody save our ship
Somewhere off of the coast somewhere out in the Atlantic  -Caamp
Fisherman Island guarding the Chesapeake's entrance, 11/23/2018.

Revolutionary War. Civil War. Kinda badass that the hotel we stayed in was located on top of Civil War battlefield remains. Fort Magruder, the site of the Battle of Williamsburg.

  Old town. Hemorrhaging history at every pour. Plus, Christmas greenery and natural garnish everywhere. Tellin' ya...this place fermented the olden. Also helped that Williamsburg has had a growing craft beer scene. Five breweries, two of which we visited this journey. Trip pics with several local brews featured. Townie tour as well.

The Magazine framed in an autumnal backdrop.

Court in session.

Toby's Triple Threads Porter

provided an opaque brown pour
with a finger-thick tan head.
Brewed by Williamsburg's
AleWerks, smelled of burnt sugar

and coffee. Tastes of roasted
malt and pine. Chocolate. More
 coffee. Nice off-bitter finish.
5.5% ABV made it very drinkable.
Rated a B.

Inserts for scaffolding decked with apples.

Raleigh Tavern in session.

                                       

The Wythe House

                                                       

Fermented by Delaware's Old Dominion

Brewing, a hoppy English style Pale Ale
with approximate 40 IBUs. Red-amber
pour. Never a big fan of the dry Brit
character. Specially in beer. Aromas of
wheat and citrus. Tasted of grains and
bitter lemon. Another 5.5'er in ABVs.
Not a stand-out. Rated a C+.

  

Nick's off-season retreat?

   Evening. The breweries we checked out included Brass Cannon about 4 miles outside of downtown Williamsburg. In a strip center... occupied the majority of it. Eight brews on tap. Tried 'em all. Enjoyed Angry Scot, a "Wee-Heavy." Neither myself nor my wife were big on the Black Chai Ale. , I've yet to find a tea infused beer that I liked. Very respectable. Original beer. Fun entertainment. Quality brewery.

Nick at night.

The other brewery's beers were as concocted as their food offerings. Amber Ox. 18 taps. Eight of their own, from the "Precarious Beer Project." Eight of their neighbors. Strong, high IBU IPAs. Which I like. Thick porters and stouts also hop backed. Paired with loaded burgers and smoked wings. The menu changed as often as their beer. Definitely worth another visit the next time we come down. That being said, we spent the next day, the last, shopping for Christmas... in a downpour, the rain lettin' up as we headed outta town. Historic.

Ox brew precariously in progress.

Merchants Square readies for the holiday crunch.