Random Bits of Williamsburg

Here are some things from Williamsburg that didn't make their own post!

We went out to dinner at Oceans and Ale, where I had Good Luck Irish Stout (4.4% alcohol by volume) by Alewerks Brewing Company in Williamsburg, Virginia. The beer was a very nice stout clearly inspired by classic Guinness. I enjoyed it though a real Guinness would be better--a little creamier, a little tastier. No pretzel at this restaurant, alas! They did serve a good fish and chips.

A nice beer

I couldn't resist this Dragon Pack of beer at the grocery story in Williamsburg. The brews are from The St. George Brewing Company of Hampton, Virginia. They are local (to Williamsburg) beers and some have won awards.

The Dragon Pack!

This particular pack contains six different beers made by the brewery:

• Golden Ale (5% alcohol by volume)--This is a standard golden ale. It's a bit dry and a bit sour and a bit bitter. It goes better with a meal or a snack, something for it to contrast and compare to.
• Porter (5% alcohol by volume)--The label calls this "London style." I am not sure what that means. Porter was first made in London and is probably named after those people who carry around stuff for you, with whom the beer was popular. St. George's is clearly hanging on to their British inspiration. As for this beer, it has a woody flavor with a bit of smoke and bitterness. It drinks like its hearty without a heavy or oily texture. It's not as smooth as a Guinness but is a fine drink nonetheless.
• English IPA (5.5% alcohol by volume)-- For an IPA, I enjoyed this. It doesn't have the sharp bitterness of other IPAs. The dryness is nice. I may start trying more IPAs thanks to this.
• Nut Brown Ale (5% alcohol by volume)--This ale does have a bit of nuttiness (flavor only) and more complex flavors in the aftertaste. It would go well with food or on its own. Yummy!
• Knight's Lager (unlisted% alcohol by volume)--This Vienna-style lager has the deep tan you couldn't possibly get from English sunshine or in a regular lager. It has a bit more roasty and nutty flavor than a regular lager, making it a good pairing with a salty snack. I had it with some Chex mix and thought they went together well.
• Pilsner (5% alcohol by volume)--This beer is pretty standard. It has the usual look and color of a pilsner. Not bad but not anything special either.

We did some geocaching in the greater Williamsburg area. Monopoly: Free Parking was an easy find near our hotel. The log inside the cache was a bit wet. We could barely write our geocaching name on it!

View of the hide from the parking lot

Not too far from there is a cache dedicated to a bakery that isn't there anymore. "Fat Kids Love Cake!" is a cache that's easy to find in a strip mall parking lot.

The cache is in here somewhere

Much less easy to find is the cache that's behind the strip mall. 403's Boo Boo Box Hide-Out is apparently in an unconventional hiding spot. It was unconventional enough that we couldn't find it with ten minutes of searching. 

Somewhere in this picture, we assume

We found the Fire Station #4 to the Rescue! cache near Yorktown. The cache location is delightful for its obvious placement and less than obvious way of being opened. Our whole group enjoyed this one just before visiting the Yorktown battlefield.

The fire department