KCBA - Monterey, Salinas, Santa Cruz - News Weather-Carmel Valley Couple Completes "Year in Beer"

Carmel Valley Couple Completes "Year in Beer"

CARMEL VALLEY, Calif. - If it were up to one Carmel Valley couple, that Disney song would be changed to "a world of laughter and a world of beers".

Chris Nelson and Meredith Canham-Nelson recently completed a year-long travel itinerary that focused on the world's best beer festivals.  The couple visited a beer festival every month of 2008, starting in Alaska last January and finishing up in Belgium and Holland last December.  All told, they travelled to seven destinations in the U.S. and five in Europe.

The couple believes friendships can be forged through a love of beer.  They joined in a local German beer tasting Saturday at Rosie's Cracker Barrel in Carmel Valley as part of S.F. Beer Week.

"I find that beer brings the world together and what could be better than having a beer tasting at an institution like Rosie's," said Canham-Nelson.

"I just think it brings people together."

Other than plenty of beer, it also helps to have a flexible schedule to take on an adventure with ale.  According to their website, thebeergeek.com, Chris is self-employed as a web designer and can do work on the road. Meredith is in social work with plenty of vacation time accrued and a supportive supervisor.