I moved to Indianapolis back in 2010, which was the perfect time to catch the city’s craft beer craze. At the time, Sun King Brewing had just recently opened its doors, and Indy was rediscovering the joy of a locally brewed beer. I had packed a case of domestic light beer to bring with me on the move. But it sat abandoned as I filled growlers with Sun King’s Osiris Pale Ale and Flat12 Bierwerks’ Half Cycle IPA. 

It didn’t take long before those local breweries felt like a second home to me. And I quickly found a loyal, passionate community around Indy’s craft beer scene! I was particularly drawn to the inspiring women of Girls Pint Out (GPO), a national craft beer organization for women. 

Over the years, Girls Pint Out has truly become a part of my identity. In 2013, I became the Chapter Head for the local Indy Girls Pint Out. Then, just one year later, I became the National President for the entire organization. I’ve seen firsthand how the Indianapolis beer scene has boomed in the past decade, and let me tell you. The women of GPO have been there drinking every step of the way!

Girls Pint Out is a community of beer-loving women.

As a craft beer organization, obviously our number one priority is… well, drinking beer. But our mission is to build a community of women who love craft beer and contribute to the greater craft beer community! So, we volunteer in the community, connect over social media, and host events that bring women together for a pint. 

At Indy Girls Pint Out, we offer a couple different events each month. These events can be charitable, educational, or just social, but one thing’s for sure: they all involve drinking beer! We also aim to make all of our events as accessible as possible. For ticketed events, we mostly keep them in the $10-$15 range, and we plan events on all sides of Indianapolis. And most importantly, there are no membership requirements to join Girls Pint Out—just come join us for a beer!

Virtually connect with the national Girls Pint Out community.

Altogether, Girls Pint Out is a big, nationwide community that stretches from New York to California. But you want to know the crazy part? Girls Pint Out was founded right here in Indianapolis in February 2010! Since then, our local non-profit has grown to over 100 chapters in nearly 40 states across the country. 

Although our primary focus is local events, we recently started offering new events on a national scale. Especially during this past year, we realized the importance of building a larger support network for women. So, while local meet-ups are still our focus, we’ve also started hosting quarterly virtual events for the entire organization. 

Girls Pint Out also engages our audience with various social media initiatives, building community even when we’re apart. We post and encourage people to share what they’re drinking with hashtags like #GPOCanTag, #BeerRunFriday, and #WomenOwnedWed. If you’re curious, the #girlspintout hashtag is a great place to see the ladies and breweries in the GPO community!

Girls Pint Out events bring together women from all walks of life.

Most of our events are only for people who identify as women (although we occasionally let others join in). But it’s important to us that GPO events are welcoming and inclusive to all women with all levels of interest! From professional brewers to women who usually just drink cider, we want everyone to feel like they belong. We even hold educational events for women interested in learning more about hops, beer styles, barrel-aging, and more!

After all, women who drink craft beer don’t fit into a singular, neat box. Some women enjoy rare barrel-aged beers and sours, but some women love drinking pink, sweet beers. There are women who only wear jeans, while others drink their beer in dresses and high heels. And while many are interested in advanced beer education, others simply enjoy drinking and doing crafts with friends. No matter who you are, we try to plan events with every woman in mind!

Our events offer something for everyone.

We design our events to highlight what makes each brewery, restaurant, and bar unique. Indy has so many local gems that it’s easy to plan over 20 totally different events each year. We’ve had ghost tours at haunted breweries like St. Joseph’s and Grand Junction Brewing. At Taxman Brewing, we learned financial tips in a brewery founded by accountants. And we’ve even hosted a build-your-own-poutine party at Big Lug Canteen, a poutine-loving brewpub!

Beyond our community of beer-loving ladies, Girls Pint Out also collaborates with other awesome non-profits in the Indy region. As mentioned earlier, a lot of our events include charitable elements. So, we may host a collection drive, organize a themed event in partnership with a non-profit, or simply donate our ticket profits to a cause. These charity events are a great way to give back and contribute to the larger community around us. So, anyone up for donating teaching supplies while drinking cider at Ash & Elm?

​Indy Girls Pint Out is a proud part of our local craft beer community.

Here at Indy Girls Pint Out, we feel truly lucky to be part of the Indianapolis beer scene. Over the years, we’ve received nothing but support and encouragement from the breweries and bars across the region. And we work closely with the Brewers of Indiana Guild to provide volunteers for festivals and breweries that could use an extra pair of hands. 

It’s important to all of us at GPO that we give back to the community that gives so much to us throughout the year. So, we gladly volunteer as ticket takers, beer pourers, and any other job for local non-profits and breweries in need. (As a group made for beer, we feel particularly qualified to help pour beer with a volunteer alcohol pouring permit!) 

In a normal year, we typically have over 30 women volunteer to help out. Then, of course, we thank our volunteers with a pajama-wearing, beer-drinking, junk-food-eating, real-deal slumber party! 

We especially like to support women-owned breweries and brewers. GPO often partners with the Pink Boots Society, an organization for women who work in the beer industry. And each year, we work together to plan a Ladies of Beer Night at the Tomlinson Tap Room. This event invites beer-loving ladies to get to know the women who work in our local beer industry. Guests can even try some of their brews with a special tap list. Because there’s nothing better than women supporting women!

Indy always shows up and supports our community events.

As much as we lend a hand, the Indy community pays it back tenfold through their constant support for Girls Pint Out. The best example of this is our annual Coffee Beer & Donuts event. 

Every year, we organize a brunch beer fest at the City Market, bringing together local brewers, bakers, and coffee makers. Over a dozen local breweries design and brew a unique coffee-infused beer. And then Indy bakeries pair each drink with a delicious baked good. (When breweries brew a beer just for you, you really know that you’re special!)

We appreciate all of the creators who participate in the event and the many Hoosiers who attend each year. Thanks to their support, Coffee Beer & Donuts sells out every year. And all of those proceeds directly benefit the Indianapolis City Market and Girls Pint Out! 

Indiana is home to some prominent and inspiring Ladies of Beer.

You can’t talk about the Indy craft beer scene without mentioning the woman who literally wrote the book on it. Rita Kohn is the author of True Brew: A Guide to Craft Beer in Indiana, as well as The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Beer Tasting: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Beer. You can also read her work in the beer column of Indy’s alt-newspaper Nuvo. 

Rita has been our speaker at Girls Pint Out multiple times over the years. Even in 2020, she spoke at an event on Indy’s beer history at Indiana City Brewing. In fact, I don’t know if Girls Pint Out would exist without Rita. Simply enough, she is THE Lady of Beer here in Indianapolis. 

But generally, when I use the term “Ladies of Beer,” I’m referring to a very special group of women—Eilise Lane, owner and head brewer of Scarlet Lane Brewing; Holly Miller, owner of Black Acre Brewing; and Leah Huelsebusch, owner of Taxman Brewing. These three women each blazed her own trail in the brewing industry, and they’re deeply respected for their talent. 

While the gender divide in the beer scene is starting to even out, it’s still rare to find a group of women quite like them. Women are typically still in the minority at breweries and beer festivals. So, it makes me feel stronger to have this group of inspiring women by my side! 

What’s it mean to be the Ladies of Beer anyway?

The term Ladies of Beer—or affectionately the LOBs—started as somewhat of a joke. (We even have a logo with a friendly looking lobster!) But being the LOBs truly cemented us together. 

Eilise, Holly, and Leah are always there to give advice, to be a listening ear, to help me put together a unique event, and to make sure that I have enough beer. And they unconditionally support both Girls Pint Out and me personally. When we’re out, we spend a lot of time pouring beer in our respective beer-branded t-shirts and jeans. But you can also find the LOBs dressed up and drinking cocktails or hanging out in lounge clothes decorating Christmas cookies!

After all, in the TV show Friends, Phoebe (incorrectly) tells Rachel: “It’s a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life. You can actually see old lobster couples walking around their tank, holding claws.” Phoebe may be wrong, but that idea is still something that fits us! (We may also have matching lobster bracelets and t-shirts.)

Join Girls Pint Out for a drink here in Indy! 

While I love my LOBs, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the amazing group of friends I’ve made at Girls Pint Out events. These loyal ladies are always the first to get a ticket, invite a friend, and volunteer to help at events. (And they always help calm me down if an event starts going sideways!) 

Altogether, we’ve built an amazing community of beer-loving women in the Indianapolis region. And Indy Girls Pint Out is better because they’re part of it. I feel very privileged to count these women as my friends, and I look forward to making more friends in the years to come.

So, don’t forget! No matter how you drink your beer, you’re welcome to join us for a Girls Pint Out. Some people bring their friends, but many women attend by themselves and make friends along the way. And in my opinion, the best part of Girls Pint Out is watching friendships grow over a beer. It’s my hope that our attendees also find their LOBs for life. So, why don’t you join us for a beer sometime?