• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT
    • MASTHEAD
    • ADVERTISE
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

CURRENT STREET EDITION

DIG 23.05 – 4/8/21

DRUNK HISTORY: A Q+A WITH THE MASS-RAISED AUTHORS OF NEW BEER GRAPHIC NOVEL

Written by DAN MCCARTHY Posted August 12, 2015 Filed Under: COLUMNS, Honest Pint, Honest Pint, LIFESTYLE

HP_TheComicBookStoryOfBeer_728
Images via Comic Book Story of Beer

When you think about it, a graphic novel about the history of beer in all its forms is long overdue.

 

Already, there exist historical graphic novels of every sort, from the hyper-personal (see: Persepolis) to generalized histories of the modern world, the universe, and even the Constitution of the United States and Gettysburg. And those last two efforts mentioned specifically pertain to the forthcoming The Comic Book Story of Beer (Ten Speed Press, available for pre-order now for September), as the artist behind all three is one and the same.

 

Author Jonathan Hennessey, a Framingham-raised illustrator who went from working on Hollywood films (see: Rushmore) to comics, teamed up with childhood friend and Cape Cod-grown brewer Mike Smith after he led Hennessey on a tour of Mayflower Brewing in Plymouth during his time there. Smith had previously worked for years at Harpoon in Boston as a lead brewer (he even authored one of the brewery’s vaunted 100 Barrel Series lines).

 

Hennessey became enraptured by Smith’s beer history knowledge and acute storytelling abilities, involving all manner of beer trivia, factoids, and a deep understanding of beer’s place in the story of human civilization. He thought, “We have a graphic novel here.”

 

Beer and comics feel very compatible as a topic and a teaching tool.

 

JH: I would say that beer has always been the drink of the people, in most times of the world and most places of the world, and visual storytelling, be it medieval tapestries and down to cave paintings, has always been the art form of the people. So the drink and the art form of the people have just been waiting to be introduced, and this book puts the two of them together.

 

Mike, how did you get into beer?

 

BEER_Avatar_Mike_B
Mike Smith

MS: I had an appreciation for beer and had a science background, and got into homebrewing in [the] early ’90s when information was still hard to find on it. This was the early days of craft beer. But everything kind of clicked. Beer doesn’t come from a store; it comes from human beings making it, so I just really started exploring different kinds of beers, which led to an apprenticeship at a brewpub in Austin [and later] a job cleaning kegs in Harpoon in Boston after moving back home. I became one of the lead brewers there and moved on to Mayflower Brewing in Plymouth, where Jonathan came in for a tour of the brewery, and that’s the spark that led to this book.

 

 

Jonathan, what were your first thoughts when you began considering this as a graphic history book?

 

BEER_Avatar_Jonathan_A
Jonathan Hennessey

JH: I loved the idea that someone could take something as common and beloved as beer and, for the reluctant learner of history, use that as a portal in to appreciate the full story of where beer comes from, what it’s done for humanity, where it’s going, and get this great sense of our place in the world through that.

 

What’s something you learned about beer from researching and publishing this project?

 

JH: I had a little of a sense of how old beer was, but not how ancient it is. Its development in trade has really given a lot to loosen the chokehold that the elites have always had on the common people. In medieval times, the nobility and the Church had a chokehold on the potential of the average human being. You couldn’t sell things one place to another because there would be charges and tolls for bridges, roads, etc. And very early on, it was a fact that when beer was developed enough with [the] introduction of hops, when you could actually sell it somewhere and not just drink it where it was made, there was a group of Germanic businessman who asserted [the] control of trade, took to the seas to bring beer and other products all over every ports where they could reach, and that began to upset the power structure that had held people down for millennia and led to progressive[ness] and liberalism that literally informed the French and American revolution, and the strength and freedom a person has today in their ability to harness their full potential.

 

MS: One of the ways I like to talk about it is, the story of beer and the story of civilization are completely intertwined from the very very beginning; two sides of the same story. One of the oldest samples of writing in the world is actually a beer recipe. And now the history of beer is getting repeated with all these new breweries pushing the boundaries with what beer is right now.

 

Beer is freedom. You heard it here, folks.

 

THE COMIC BOOK STORY OF BEER. NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER AT THECOMICBOOKSTORYOFBEER.COM

DAN MCCARTHY

Dan is a freelance journalist and has written for publications including Vice, Esquire, the Daily Beast, Fast Company, Pacific Standard, MEL, Leafly, Thrillist, and DigBoston.

More from author
  • DAN MCCARTHY
    https://digboston.com/author/dan-mccarthy/
    cannabis massachusetts pandemic
    RANGE OF VOICES TESTIFY TO OPEN CANNABIS DISPENSARIES DURING PANDEMIC
  • DAN MCCARTHY
    https://digboston.com/author/dan-mccarthy/
    BIG CHILL: A YAWN OF A CENTENNIAL, DINNER WITH MICHAEL J. FOX, AND THE MICHAEL BENNET PRIMARY TEST
  • DAN MCCARTHY
    https://digboston.com/author/dan-mccarthy/
    THE POLICY POLICE: CANNABIS COP AND GOP COHORT CHALLENGE CANDIDATES AND EDUCATE VOTERS ON WHY DRUGS SHOULD BE LEGAL
  • DAN MCCARTHY
    https://digboston.com/author/dan-mccarthy/
    ACCESS DENIED: BUTTIGIEG PACKS ROOM, BRUISES INDEPENDENT MEDIA EGOS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

Filed Under: COLUMNS, Honest Pint, Honest Pint, LIFESTYLE Tagged With: Beer, comics, framingham, Graphic Novel, Harpoon, honest pint, Jonathan Hennessey, mayflower brewing, Mike Smith, Ten Speed Press

WHAT’S NEW

IF YOU’RE SURPRISED THE BPD CODDLED AN ACCUSED MOLESTER COP, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION

IF YOU’RE SURPRISED THE BPD CODDLED AN ACCUSED MOLESTER COP, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION

PICS & RECAP: COMMUNITY CANDLE VIGIL HONORING VICTIMS OF ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE

PICS & RECAP: COMMUNITY CANDLE VIGIL HONORING VICTIMS OF ANTI-ASIAN VIOLENCE

CAMBRIDGE CHURCH MINISTER SPEAKS ABOUT RECENT VANDALISM OF SIGN

CAMBRIDGE CHURCH MINISTER SPEAKS ABOUT RECENT VANDALISM OF SIGN

PRESSLEY MEETS WITH LOCAL 26 WORKERS

PRESSLEY MEETS WITH LOCAL 26 WORKERS

THE HOUR THAT THE SHIP COMES IN

THE HOUR THAT THE SHIP COMES IN

JANEY OFFICIALLY DECLARES THAT SHE WILL RUN FOR FULL TERM

JANEY OFFICIALLY DECLARES THAT SHE WILL RUN FOR FULL TERM

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • VACCINE EQUITY NOW! COALITION ASKS BAKER TO ALLOCATE 20% OF NEW DOSES TO HARD HIT COMMUNITIES by SHIRA LAUCHAROEN
  • A NEW PLACE FOR MORE PEOPLE TO CALL HOME IN TOUGH TIMES by MARK EMMONS
  • rally to protest discrimination and crimes against Asian and Pacific islanders during Stop Asian Hate rally on Boston Common in Boston PICS & RECAP: “STOP ASIAN HATE BOSTON” RALLY ON THE COMMON by KEIKO HIROMI
  • IF YOU’RE SURPRISED THE BPD CODDLED AN ACCUSED MOLESTER COP, YOU’RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION by CHRIS FARAONE
  • A FAREWELL TRIBUTE (OF SORTS) TO MARTY WALSH by DIG STAFF

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 2.1 – March 2021

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG 23.05 – 4/8/21

Footer

digbos

digbos
“We’re not going to survive for 20 more years “We’re not going to survive for 20 more years if we don’t do this [move to a bigger space].” https://digboston.com/how-juliet-hit-a-100k-kickstarter-goal-in-4-days/ #restaurant #business #food #crowdfund #SomervilleMA #coronavirus #COVID19
EDITORIAL: DIGBOSTON SEEKS CLIMATE IDEAS FOR MAYOR EDITORIAL: DIGBOSTON SEEKS CLIMATE IDEAS FOR MAYOR KIM JANEY. Environmental organizations and individual activists invited to submit opinion articles for publication. https://digboston.com/editorial-digboston-seeks-climate-ideas-for-mayor-kim-janey/ #politics @boston_mayor #environment #globalwarming #climate #activist #callforsubmissions #policy #Boston #Massachusetts
“Most are some of my favorite bars or local clas “Most are some of my favorite bars or local classics that I’ve learned to love in my time living in the city. Others just have a great facade that I know would make a great drawing.” https://digboston.com/drawn-but-not-forgotten-local-artist-sketches-beloved-boston-restaurants/ #art #artist #sketch #drawing #Boston #Massachusetts #bar #restaurant
Despite #pandemic hurdles, Mass #music instructors Despite #pandemic hurdles, Mass #music instructors hit new high notes. “My #teaching has gone to another level.” https://digboston.com/the-medium-is-the-maestro/ #education #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
From the podcast to the book, Wayne Federman chron From the podcast to the book, Wayne Federman chronicles the business of joke-telling. https://digboston.com/the-history-of-stand-up-from-mark-twain-to-dave-chappelle/ #comedy #history #book #interview #Boston #Massachusetts
“I’m calling on some of you to drop by a local “I’m calling on some of you to drop by a local field office and hear what people have to say.” https://digboston.com/dear-reader-the-political-season-is-upon-us-embrace-it/ #politics #commentary #election #Massachusetts
“I think most people agree that we want our publ “I think most people agree that we want our public dollars to go to those companies that are not cutting corners.” https://digboston.com/bill-seeks-to-penalize-contractors-for-unsafe-conditions/ #politics #legislation #construction #safety #labor #Massachusetts
“It’s just shocking to me for Massachusetts, t “It’s just shocking to me for Massachusetts, the state that puts itself forward as this paragon of democracy. Those are just fundamental building blocks of a democratic society.” https://digboston.com/researchers-show-extent-of-lobbying-against-climate-bills-in-ma/ #environment #globalwarming #climate #crisis #politics #lobby #Massachusetts
I was lucky enough to get an extra #vaccine. Here’s how it went down. https://digboston.com/young-healthy-and-inoculated/ #young #youth #student #college #vaccination #publichealth #health #Boston #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
The MBTA confirmed that it will “fully fund its The MBTA confirmed that it will “fully fund its operating budget in the coming fiscal year and begin to restore cut service.” https://digboston.com/public-transit-public-good-responds-to-restoring-mbta-service/ #transportation #politics #Massachusetts
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]