A review by laurensalisbury
The Comic Book Story of Beer: The World's Favorite Beverage from 7000 BC to Today's Craft Brewing Revolution by Tom Orzechowski, Aaron McConnell, Mike Smith, Jonathan Hennessey
2.0
Honestly, I couldn't get through all of this. It's surprisingly dense and it's possible I'm reading it at not the right time to properly enjoy it. I'd only recommend it to the most ardent beer enthusiasts and those who enjoy classic-style nonfiction comics.
Starting the book without at least some knowledge of the brewing process makes the second chapter a slog to get through. I thought I had a passing knowledge but realized that I'd have to do additional Googling to actually get everything I could out of the chapter. Terms and processes are included sometimes without explanation and readers are expected to move forward without it.
The historical aspects of the book are theory at best but are presented as inarguable facts except for the very few spots where a footnote qualifies those claims.
While the book might be interesting enough to hold the attention of an enthusiastic beer drinker or brewer, it's too dense to hold the attention of a passing fan and too tenuously linked with history to provide as much background as it claims to.
Starting the book without at least some knowledge of the brewing process makes the second chapter a slog to get through. I thought I had a passing knowledge but realized that I'd have to do additional Googling to actually get everything I could out of the chapter. Terms and processes are included sometimes without explanation and readers are expected to move forward without it.
The historical aspects of the book are theory at best but are presented as inarguable facts except for the very few spots where a footnote qualifies those claims.
While the book might be interesting enough to hold the attention of an enthusiastic beer drinker or brewer, it's too dense to hold the attention of a passing fan and too tenuously linked with history to provide as much background as it claims to.