"The Comic Book Story Of Beer" Offers A Different Kind Of Drunk History

The frothy, cool refreshment that is beer has inspired many to do great things, such as write poetry and convert breweries to yoga studios. It has also inspired a few of us to do some not-so-great things in college that we'd like to forget. But we digress. This latest hop- and barley-inspired feat certainly deserves a clinking of glasses — The Comic Book Story of Beer is something all beer, history and comic book nerds can enjoy.

The last 9,000 years of beer history is told in the 173-page, full-color comic book written by Jonathan Hennessey and brewer Mike Smith and illustrated by Aaron McConnell, according to NPR. The book begins at 7000 B.C. and ends with today's craft beer obsession, covering everything from how Egyptian pyramid builders received the drink as payment to how covered beer steins were invented to keep flies out of drinks while streets were covered in bodies during the Black Death.

The history of beer has been told time and time again, but Smith tells NPR that the colorful medium gives the tales a breath of fresh air.

"A lot of beer books tend to be very serious, and I think the comic medium allowed us to tell the story of beer with a degree of levity," he says.

To add to the fun, the brewing processes are depicted with Lego-like construction workers breaking sugars down, "Yeast-Bots" consuming starches and even a Dr. Seuss reference embedded somewhere in the mix, according to McConnell and Smith.

The graphic novel will be released on September 22.