A Rainbow to Wish Us Goodbye!

Although the winds were heavy all night, when we got up in the morning we were told our noon flight was on time.

We went to breakfast and when we came out we saw this beautiful rainbow over the bay. I'm glad I had my camera on me.

It was a fabulous final shot to end our vacation on. A rainbow and a rooster!

The Swizzle Inn, Baileys Bay, Bermuda

The first afternoon, right after we checked into our rooms at the Grotto Bay Resort, we headed over to the Swizzle Inn, which was a 5 minute walk away. It was raining but Teena had heard that this was a place we should visit and we did.

It wasn't our last visit either!

The Swizzle Inn is Bermuda's oldest pub, having opened in 1932, in an old homestead dating back to the 1600s. It has been family owned since 1962. The inside have been drastically changed to house a pub but looking at old pictures that hang on the wall, the outside has not changed.

The service is good, the servers are friendly (Oxana and Van Dyke rocked), they have Oscars Ale from Dockyard Brewing, they are generous with their shots and the food is good. We were at an all-inclusive except for tonight and still would wander over. Our thinking was we could pay $15 each for internet at the hotel or have a couple of drinks in a great atmosphere, and use their free WIFI.

The food is good. One night we just wanted something familiar, as we were eating fancy at the hotel, so we ordered a pizza. Yes, they do pizza very well. Tonight, as we are no longer paying for an all-inclusive, we are eating here again. The bartender (I forget his name but remember he is from Etobicoke, ON) is going to find the Canada/Russia hockey game.

They encourage patrons to stick their business cards somewhere on the walls or ceilings and they are everywhere. They also allow graffiti. I am proud to say that my GKJ adorns one of their walls and my business card is also stuck somewhere.

The Swizzle Inn is a fun spot, the type of pub I wish was in our neighborhood. If your heading to Bermuda, the original Swizzle Inn on Baileys Bay is a must visit!

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Enjoying an Oscars Ale on the patio

Teena with a Black Seal dark rum and Diet coke, me with an Oscars

My famous GKJ sits proudly on their front inside wall

My business card is tucked somewhere on this wall

"Galed in" Bermuda. A Chance to Visit St George's

It was with some reluctance when we woke up this morning, packed our bags and dragged them up to the front desk. We had seen most of the island but not St George's which was just to the north. After breakfast we found that our flight had been canceled due to the storm. In fact all flights too and from Bermuda was canceled. The hotel still had our room open, so they booked us back in for another night. We confirmed that we had a flight for the next day, and dragged our bags back to the room. Once there we changed and rain or shine were off to see St George's.

"Admiral Sir George Somers, who founded Bermuda, named the town not after himself but in honor of the Patron Saint of England, St. George. St George's, was settled in 1612 and is the oldest continuously inhabited English town in the Americas. St. George's used to be Bermuda's capital until the 19th century after being substantially outgrown by Hamilton."

It rained on and off during the day and we were lucky as we were in the only 2 open pubs when the big downpours came. The wind was strong all day with great gusts. Although the bay is sheltered there were 4 to 6 foot waves. The TV said outside of the reef which protects the islands, the waves were 20 to 25 feet high!
The town is a UNESCO World Heritage site as many of the buildings, alleys and street are from the original days of the town. The oldest building is the State House built in 1620. Like Teena says, there are so many reminders out there that the world existed before we did.
St Peter's Church is "is the oldest surviving Anglican church in continuous use outside the British Isles. It is also reportedly the oldest continuously used Protestant church in the New World."
The Globe Hotel was built in 1700
Most places were closed for the holidays and many had signs they were closed for the off season and re-opening in March.
I had hoped to see the full size replica of the Deliverance, the ship that saved America.

"In 1609, a fleet of 9 ships set sail from England for the new British settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. The fleet was commanded by Admiral Sir George Somers on the flagship, Sea Venture. During a vicious storm the Sea Venture floundered on Bermuda’s reefs. Somers managed to land the crew and colonists on the uninhabited island without the loss of a single life. 7 of the remaining ships made it to Virginia, albeit without much of their cargo.

They found many hogs in the island which they could feed on and survive. Over the next 9 months Somers' men built 2 ships, Deliverance and the Patience to complete their journey to Jamestown. In fact, they initially started to build only the Deliverance, and soon figured out that it wont have enough capacity for all plus all the salted pork that they planned to carry with them.

On May 10, 1610, Somers and his men started once again for Jamestown. Somers left behind two men to retain British claim of Bermuda. When they reached Jamestown, they were shocked to see that only 50 out of the 500 men who reached there earlier had survived. The rest all died out of starvation."

The food aboard save Jamestown.
We found Wahoo's Bistro and patio just before the heavy rains came. I had Alfred's award winning fish chowder which was excellent and warming with a great spicyness which reminded me of black bean soup. I also had the wings which were good. Teena had honey fried chicken and fries with huge pieces of chicken which she enjoyed. Teena's review is hereWe ate and watch the storm.
The rain stopped and we headed to the only other open pub in town, The tavern by the sea. It was still very windy.
It was time to leave and catch the bus back to our resort. It was a good day and we were happy we managed to be stranded for just one more day. A great sunset was in the sky as we left St George's.
"Red at night, sailors delight" Hopefully we are flying home tomorrow.

Beer of the Week - The Beers of Dockyard Brewing Company, Bermuda

Before we left for vacation, I did a little research and found that Bermuda had one craft beer brewery, the Dockyard Brewing Company, located, of course, at the Dockyards.

The brewery actually started further up the island in the Flatts as the North Rock Brewing Company in 1997. It outgrew the facility and, in 2006, formed a partnership with the Frog and Onion Pub and moved all it's equipment down to the Dockyards.

They had the space, we had the expertise and so today we brew the same line of fine beers that we have done for these past twelve years.

The Frog and Onion was opened in 1992 and is named after the owners who formed the original partnership when the pub first opened. One owner was French (frog) and the other was Bermudian (known as Onions) Cute. The pub is great. Teena has an excellent review here.

They have their five beer sampler, which is what I went with.

Time to taste! I was hot, tired and delighted to be here so do apologize as I forgot to take a picture of each beer.

The first one up is their Whale of a Wheat which they describe as "a typical German Hefeweizen, this light and refreshing ale is made using a combination of wheat and barley malts from Europe. Brewed using only German hops this summer thirst quencher is served with a traditional slice of lemon."

I prefer the beer not to be served with lemon so I can taste the true flavours of the beer. I did not know at the time it would come which a wedge on the lip.

This is a light straw coloured beer which I could sense the wheat essence in the aroma. It is very light tasting but the wheat comes through in the finish. I enjoyed this beer but really should have asked for one without the lemon fro a true taste. This is a nice beer, which is the case with me with wheat beers, is great to have one or two of before moving onto a stronger beer.

Next up was the St David's Lager. "Brewed in the Pilsner style, this light, straw-coloured beer is delicately hopped with the finest European hops giving it a satisfying crisp flavour with a dry finish."

It is straw-coloured, darker than the wheat and I could sense hops in the aroma. There is a nice taste to this from start to finish. The beer starts with a slight bitterness and finishes a touch more bitterness in the finish. This is a very good pilsner, one I could have many of, especially on a hot day. Teena had this one too and enjoyed it. If sold here, it would be a regular in my fridge.

Charles, our bartender, threw in their seasonal Honey Pale Ale so I would taste everything they had to offer. Described as "a smooth unfiltered, dry hopped light pale ale. Bermuda honey added during brewing comes through as a subtle aftertaste which increases as the beer begins to warm."

It was a light amber colour with a slight sweetness in the aroma. Although unfiltered, it was pretty clear. I found this beer to be very watery. The hops do try to come through but are watered away. I did not like this one at all.

Somer's Amber Ale is the flagship beer of the brewery. It is brewed with Noble hops as a traditional English Bitter. This ale is also sold to the Swizzlers Inn and rebranded as Oscars Ale, where I have already enjoyed a few. Up until today, I did not know it was from this brewery.

It is ambered-coloured as the name states and is a very nicely flavoured beer throughout. A great session ale which starts a little malty but has the hops come through in the finish. The hops are not overpowering but nicely balanced.

Now to the stars of the show. The heavy hitters which I have been looking the most forward too. The IPA is the brewer's favorite and the Porter is the favorite of Charles.

First up is the Trunk Island Pale Ale, or Trunk IPA, an Indian Pale Ale that they play with the initials on. It is brown in colour and, yes, there are hops to the nose! Although it has sat for awhile, it still has a little head left and there are nice lacings as I sipped.

It starts a little watery, almost tasteless, but then the hops come galloping in and stay well through the finish. This is a very good IPA which I could see myself having a few of. Nicely done!

The last one for me to try was the medium hopped Black Anchor Porter. I have come to really love porters and was anxious to try this one.

It pours almost black and, still after this long while, had head left. The roasted malt aroma comes through and I think lacings line the glass after sipping. Surpisingly, this has a much more silky mouth feel than the porters I am used to. It is full-flavoured with the taste of coffee coming through. Nicely balanced, between the hops and the malt and finishes with a bitterness which comes more from the roasted malt than the hops.

An excellent porter. As shown by the picture above, I had another afterwards.

Also pictured above are 16 oz growlers just waiting to be filled. I had Charles fill two for me to take back to Canada ... the IPA and the Porter. It was also nice knowing when we left that I still could have the Somer's Amber Ale (Oscars) back at the Swizzler, a pub beside our resort.

The only disappointment (besides the honey ale) was that the brewer was away on vacation so I could not get a tour of the brewery itself and meet the brewer. That would have been the icing on the cake!

Beer of the Week Stats

Beers Profiled 142
Countries 28
Breweries 124
Provinces 8

The Royal Naval Dockyards, Bermuda

The ferry ride from Hamilton to the Royal Naval Dockyards, which every just refers to as "The Dockyards", is a very scenic 20 minutes.

The British Royal Navy established the Royal Naval Dockyard after defeat in the American War of Independence left Britain without a secure operational base between Halifax, Nova Scotia and the West Indies. Bermuda was quickly identified as a strategic mid-Atlantic location where a secure anchorage for the Navy’s fleet and a dockyard, victualling yard and ordnance depot to maintain the ships could be developed. 

It was from Dockyard in the summer of 1814 that a British force of 5,000 troops and Royal Marines set sail for the famous attack on Washington, D. C. and Baltimore during the War of 1812. Dockyard remained an important strategic base for a further 139 years. During the First World War (1914-18) and Second World War (1939-1945), it was a bustling, vibrant port with floating docks where ships were repaired for combat deployment. Nearly 600 vessels were repaired and put back into action. In addition, sea patrols from here escorted people from and to the UK and Canada, and German soldiers passed through Dockyard on their way to POW camps in Canada. 

The Dockyards was closed in 1951 but most of the original buildings remain. It was fabulous to walk around amongst all that history. The old British prison to the west of the dockyards, where Britain sent its convicts back in the mid 1800s, is being restored for tours and looked like a harsh, depressing place.

If you are going to Bermuda, the Dockyards are a must see! Once again, pictures tell the story the best.

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The Dockyards

The Commissioner's House which was finished in 1828.

The Bermuda Moongate.

Casemates Prison - This was built by convicts in the 1830s as a barracks and then became a prison in 1851 where convicts from England were shipped. It became the main prison for Bermuda convicts and closed in 1995.

The Victualling Yard - This yard, which has only two entrances, is where food, water and rum was prepared and stored in barrels for the ships that came and went.

Any military historical site has cannon. Here I am (once again) directing fire.

A Short Visit to Hamilton Bermuda

Today Teena and I set out to see Hamilton, which is the capital of Bermuda. Hamilton was incorporated in 1790 and the Colony's capital relocated to Hamilton from St. George's in 1815. It is well-protected from attack, a concern in those days, as it lies in the middle of the island, inland and at the end of the very long Great Sound.

It was a bank holiday and when we arrived found much of it closed up. There was a noon ferry over to the Dockyards and we decided to take it instead of hanging around.

Hamilton is a pretty city overlooking Hamilton Harbour. I managed to get a few pictures in the hour we were there.

Bermuda currently allows just one franchise in the country and only one outlet. It is in Hamilton and from what we hear, very busy during the work week.

The Bermuda Public Library

Gosling Brothers has been operating out of the same store for 127 years. In 1863, they first produced their own rum, which they sold by the barrel. After World War 1, they began to sell it by the bottle, which they sealed with a black wax seal. That's how their main brand of rum came to be named Black Seal. It's an nice tasting rum that Teena and I became quite familiar with.

Hamilton from the water.

Teena on the ferry to the Dockyards with Hamilton in the background.