In Need of Some Beer-vation

Where's a recent graduate to find motivation? Hmm... how about in BEER? Yep, this post is dedicated to beer-vation--one in a series of things that inspire me.

My love for GOOD beer started last semester when I studied abroad in London. Beer drinking was like breathing; you went to the pub for a pint during lunch, you grabbed a pint before bed at your neighborhood pub, and good beer was cheap (£3/pint avg).

Here's a photo of my roommate Larissa and I in London drinking a pint of locally brewed TIMMY TAYLOR at the Cheshire/Devonshire/Whoknowswhatshire Arms:
I didn't like beer at first. I remember my first beer being an MGD and not finishing it. It's also hard to love it when in America you're drinking Natty Ice, Bud Light, Coors and High-Life in large quantities out of a red solo cup. I recently saw a friends Facebook status that said:

"You know what we think of you're American beer? It's like having sex in a canoe. Fucking close to water." -BEERWARS

Pretty funny. I haven't seen it, but Beerwars is a documentary about small American breweries trying to fight the big guys (Bud, Miller & Coors) by winning people over with its unique taste and quality. Here's the trailer:

Anyways, today my roomates and I decided to take a tour and tasting of Harpoon Brewery in Boston (I've visited a brewery before, the Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam... cool exhibits and fun games, but bad beer). Well, turns out Beer does have a direct correlation with graduating from college, because two Harvard Business Grads started Harpoon after they went backpacking in Europe (one of them also quit his job at Lehman Bros after a year) and realized America was missing this local brewery culture. They opened the brewery in 1986.

The tour and tasting lasted an hour and was $5 all-you-can-drink for 30 minutes and a keepsake glass. Inside the brewery:
Store room with 20,000 cases. Gabs trying to look attentive.Freshest and coldest beer I've ever had.By the end, I had tried a bit of all their beers. My favorites were the UFO White, Leviathan (10% alc/vol), Ale and cider.
Bathroom signs:Lesson of the tour: Spend your life producing (and maybe drinking) what you love.
I left the tour very happy with a 64 oz. Growler of Harpoon Cider. It's definitely worth checking out if you're in Boston. The Silver Line #2 bus stops right in front of the brewery at the Harbor St. stop.

Although American beer has its down-sides, there is one thing American beer is good for: 40s.