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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

GPO back in the flow

Rick Bonino

The local chapter of Girls Pint Out is ready to roll again.

The revived group has its first official event Wednesday at Black Label, with a brewery tour at 6 p.m. followed by tasting and socializing ($10 gets you a taster flight and a pint of your choice).

“Because they’re new, a lot of us haven’t been there yet,” says chapter head Brittney Smith. “It should be something new even for those who were involved (in Girls Pint Out) before.”

The national organization, aimed at bringing together women interested in craft beer, started in 2010. A North Idaho chapter launched in 2013, followed by a Spokane chapter, but both fell dormant over the summer.

Smith, who’s been homebrewing for almost 20 years, is fairly new to the area and wasn’t previously involved. When she heard about the group’s demise, she says, “I thought, why not get this back going?”

About 10 women, both newcomers like Smith and former members, attended an initial meet-and-greet last month at Perry Street Brewing.

“We talked about what worked before, and what didn’t,” she says. “We’re going to play off that and do some new things. We’re going to have fun.”

One of the new ideas is a paint-and-brew night, something several area businesses have begun doing with both beer and wine.

Smith is planning one main gathering each month, including some in North Idaho, and will post to the group’s Facebook page about other beer-related events.

“There’s no membership process,” she says. “Come and have a drink with us, and you’re a member. Anybody’s welcome, bring a friend.”

Men often were involved in previous Girls Pint Out get-togethers here, and Smith says she would “not turn away any guys who are respectful. We want everybody to enjoy craft beer.”

But the focus, she makes clear, is bringing more women into the craft beer community.

“We want to encourage women, because they seem to get pushed aside,” Smith says. “You see breweries saying, ‘This is one women will like,’ and it’s a fruit beer or something. Hey, we like stouts, porters – we like it all, too.

“We’re looking at what has pretty much been a boys’ club, and we want to break into that.”