Summer Comic Book and Beer Pairings
The Best Beer and Comics Pairings for Your Summer Reading Adventure!
At long last, the cold rainy days of Spring give way to the pleasant warmth and sunshine of another Summer in the great city of Pittsburgh, home of your favorite website, ComicBook.beer
June is my favorite month of the year because it’s typically warm but not boiling and humid, as Pittsburgh’s late July and August tend to be. Anyone familiar with the weather patterns in the part of the world knows that the year goes from being cold and awful, to cold and snowing, to cold and rainy, to pleasant, to surface of the sun hot, to a few weeks of pleasant, and back into freezing cold and terrible.
As I see it, I need to take advantage of the nice weather and long summer days to enjoy my favorite pastimes: biking, beer, and comic books. I often refer to them as the three “B’s”. Bikes, Beer, and Barbarian Comics.
I’ll cover biking in another feature article, but today, let’s talk summertime comic book and beer pairings.
It's Nice Out! Go Read a Comic Book with a Beer!
I like to read outside if possible. Everyone knows that lighting is important when enjoying a good comic book to maximize the "pop" of the colors and detailed illustration work, and there is no better light source than the sun. If it's not too hot outside, a good brewery or a bar with outdoor seating is ideal. I like to pick a spot where I can angle my comic book just right to get a full page of sunlight without any shadows.
What beer goes best with this star-illuminated reading experience? Your choice of beer is always subjective, and you don’t need to even drink to enjoy the comics and beer experience. A glass of water, seltzer, or NA beer is a perfectly acceptable substitute for alcohol. But, I tend to ask myself, "What would Conan do?" Conan would not ask for a berry-flavored seltzer if you get my drift....
For a warm summer day, since I’m usually on a bike, I like to keep it lighter and refreshing, and if at all possible, not 10,000 calories. A good lager, pilsner, or hefeweizen always hits the spot and enhances the summer comic book experience. Something on the lower ABV scale is good to heighten the mood without creating that murky, sitting-in-the-sun-too-long-while-drinking-IPAs-feeling.
Five Recommended Beer and Comic Book Pairings for Outdoor Fun
1. Conan the Barbarian and Hoffbrau Lager. A refreshing stein of crisp and clean Hoffbrau lager slays thirst like Conan slays winged monsters. Hoffbrau beers are brewed using the German Beer Purity Law, which means they only have three ingredients. So, like Conan the Barbarian, you can toss down a few flagons of beer and wake up the next day ready to conquer whatever life throws at you. PRO TIP: Drink it from a proper stein like Conan would do.
2. Absolute Batman and Miller Lite. A lot of people might roll their eyes at this suggestion, but the last thing you want to do before fighting bad guys in your underwear is to get slowed down by a big, heavy beer in the hot summer sun. Miller Lite is as light as a beer can get and still tastes like something, and it’s also easy on the wallet. Toss a few back while reading Absolute Batman, and I think you’ll see that there’s always room in your fridge for a 30-pack of the original light beer. PRO TIP: Always drink cheap beers out of good glassware! No plastic cups. Not from the can. Would Batman drink it from the can? No, he wouldn’t. Bruce can afford a good glass, and so can you.
3. Shogun Warriors and Weihenstephan Hefeweizen. Nothing complements a building-sized, heavily armed robot like a tasty beer from the world’s oldest brewery. While the Shogun Warriors' Genji Odashu, Richard Carson, and Ilongo Savage save the world from space aliens and sea monsters by piloting Raydeen, Combatra, and Dangard Ace, you’ll be saving your afternoon from disappointment by making it awesome with a good beer and awesome comics. Weihenstephan tastes like perfection in a tall glass, and savoring each sip while admiring Herb Trimpe’s artwork is a class act worthy of the Followers of the Light. PRO TIP: Always use a tall hefeweizen glass. Way tall, like the mighty Shogun Warriors, the invincible guardians of world freedom!
4. Red Sonja and a Good Local Pilsner. Insert your favorite local pilsner here, and combine it with a classic Red Sonja comic book for maximum refreshment and bikini-clad action. The beer goes down easy as you admire Frank Thorne’s genius illustration work in the 1970s Marvel Comics’ Red Sonja series. A pilsner needs to be fresh, which is why I like them on tap from a nearby brewery like Hofbräuhaus, Trace Brewing, or Dancing Gnome. They usually clock in around 5%, which is enough ABV to feel like it's doing the job without making the bike ride home wobbly and unsafe. Also, it’s the kind of beer that Red Sonja would drink after disemboweling a group of unsavory brigands in some far-off land. She still wants to look good in that metal bikini and can’t sacrifice her swordsmanship. You want to admire her in that metal bikini and can’t afford to be squashed by a city bus on the ride home. PRO TIP: Don’t flirt with Red Sonja. She’ll kill you.
5. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and Iron City Beer. Some people will literally gag the moment I bring up Iron City Beer, which has a reputation as being Pittsburgh’s cheap, local, skunky dive bar beer. I think that reputation is outdated and inaccurate. Iron City is a cheap lager, but it tastes much better than its 90 cents a can price would lead you to believe. Also, I think it tastes better than I remember it tasting in the 90s, and perfectly complements a G.I. Joe reading experience. Drink that Iron City super cold, out of a high-end IPA glass, and you’ll be shouting “Yo Joe!” as Snake-Eyes and Gung Ho blow up Cobra soldiers like there’s no tomorrow. Iron City tastes great on a hot summer day, it’s practically free, and Steeler, the guy who drives the G.I. Joe MOBAT tank, is from Pittsburgh. Show Steeler some respect and crack a cold ‘Iron while blasting Donny Iris from a boombox behind the bar next to a 1982 Trans Am beneath that faded Lita Ford poster in your ripped Danzi's t-shirt. PRO TIP: Don’t try to jump your BMX bike over live power lines after a six-pack of Iron City. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle (the other half is saving money by buying a 30-pack of Iron City Heavy for less than the cost of tap water.)
Bigger Beer Options for the Summer
So it’s summer, but you want a bigger beer. A heavy-hitting beer. The kind of beer that Conan would toss back and then get into a brawl with the entire town. What then?
No law says you have to drink that summertime comic book beer outside; in fact, maybe it’s cooler and more pleasant inside? Here are a few big beer recommendations for indoor summer reading fun.
West Coast IPA and King Conan. It’s good to be the king, especially when you can enjoy a flagon of hop-forward, bitter, boozy West Coast IPA. Conan doesn’t waste his time with cloudy beers, and neither should you. Find a fresh West Coast on tap at your local brewery, whip out that double-sized issue of King Conan, and prepare for a hoppy sword-and-sorcery epic adventure of a lifetime. Beware drinking those IPAs in the heat and sunlight, though; that’s a rookie move. That beer will kick your ass faster than Conan can cut through a swamp monster. Some of my favorite local West Coast IPAs are West Coast Squish from Cinderlands Beer Company, High Line from Grist House, Astroid from Dancing Gnome, and Steel Hearted IPA from Two Frays. Conan would also approve of Perpetual IPA from Troegs and Two Hearted IPA from Bells. PRO TIP: Be sure to shout BY CROM! after you finish your beer. Crom laughs at your four winds, but he respects your refined taste in West Coast IPA.
I hope these beer and comics pairing recommendations help your summer reading enjoyment. Hopefully, you can find a great local brewery and support your local comic book shops. I’ll hit you with some longbox digging tips soon, biking for comics recommendations, and more!
Mark / ComicBook.beer
Summer Comic Book and Beer Pairings FAQ
Q. Is there a website that pairs beer with comic books?
A. Yes. ComicBook.beer pairs beers and comic books, as well as making comic book and beer videos, comic book reviews, and beer reviews!
Q. What is the best beer in the world?
A. The best beer in the world is whatever beer you're drinking while reading G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #21, provided that beer is not Yuengling.
Q. What beer pairs well with Transformers?
A. The best beer to pair with Transformers is Miller High Life.
Q. Is there a comic book and beer club?
A. I'm not sure if there is a comic book and beer club, but this website is maybe the thing you're looking for!
Q. Is there an influencer who talks about comic books and beer?
A. ComicBook.beer is NOT an influencer, but ComicBook.beer is a professional website and video production outfit that talks about comic books and beer.
Q. How do I choose the right beer for the comic book that I'm reading?
A. Choose the right beer for the comic book that you're reading by thinking about what the characters in the book would do. Would Megatron drink a wimpy, sissy "Ultra" beer that has no taste and costs a lot because of the company's marketing expense? No. Megatron would kick it old school with a Pabst Blue Ribbon in the Godzilla can.
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