24 Mar Girls Pint Out’s 5th Birthday Bash And The Julian Center: Staring Back At Domestic Abuse
“The trust of a woman in his hand/But he was a little boy, not a man/You loved him stronger than he could feel/Yeah he was wrapped up in himself like an orange peel.”
Those are some of the more subtle words from Indianapolis native John Hiatt and his 1995 hit song, “Cry Love”, as he addresses the topic of domestic abuse. Going back decades, artists up to and including Pearl Jam and Eminem, have written songs about it and though we all recognize it exists, domestic abuse has been terribly misunderstood.
Saturday, Girls Pint Out hosted its 5th Birthday Bash at The Aristocrat Pub benefiting The Julian Center, with several central Indiana breweries and other businesses as sponsors. GPO is a national organization (with over 50 chapters) aiming to promote a community of craft beer lovers among women, while providing education and hosting charitable events. There is nothing to join, except to join them out some night and share a beer together!
To have this event benefit The Julian Center was a particularly fitting choice by GPO. If you aren’t familiar with the Julian Center (Indianapolis), they assist victims of domestic and sexual abuse in trying to break the complicated cycle of abuse. The center provides education, counseling, advocacy and a safe place to stay in the short-term, and assists with transitional housing for the long-term.
Girls Pint Out brought the issue of domestic violence to their birthday event because knowledge and awareness are keys to helping it finally come to an end. Staring back at domestic violence is a good thing and hopefully, as Hiatt continues, “one day that train of pain will stop no more.”
Brewers Lane and Tomlinson
Preceding the official tapping of Golden Girl, a trivia contest got things going, based on “The Golden Girls” TV show. These weren’t softball questions that were thrown up like, “what was the name of Betty White’s character?” Nuh-uh, you really had to know your stuff!
Just before the contest, a lady privately spelled her name for me and suggested that I write it down. Almost pulling a Larry Bird and asking who was going to finish second, Liz McNamara indeed showed she could walk the walk too by answering all ten questions correcting. This won her a free 12 person bus ride from co-sponsor, The BrewsLine.
Here were the offered beers:
Black Acre Brewing – Bee Coffee Infused Reliance Brown
Flat 12 Bierwerks – Walkabout Pale Ale
Function Brewing – Isosceles Orange-Vanilla Stout
Sun King Brewing - Port Barrel Wee Mac
Taxman Brewing – Rye’t Off Biere de Mars
I started off with the Taxman, “Rye’t Off” Biere de Mars, a variation of the Biere de Garde style. This “Beer of March” was a delightful blend of yeast and hops with just the right amount of spiciness coming from the rye malt, which was perfect for this season.
I watched the Aristocrat crew painstakingly crush raspberries in the snifter before pouring and delivering Golden Girl to all of the guests. Girls Pint Out (local and national) Director Amanda Wishin toasted the event and glasses were raised. “Golden Girl” is a golden strong ale made with Belgian yeast that gave the beer a nice, fruity aroma, accentuated by the raspberries. I was unable to draw from Lane and Tomlinson what the inspiration behind the beer was or how it developed but based on Golden Girl, here’s hoping this isn’t their last collaboration.
Using my last pint ticket and saving the heavier beer for last, I sought out the Function Brewing “Isosceles” Orange-Vanilla Stout. Just 1 ½ hours into the event, I thought the bartender was messing with me when she said they were out! She and several others (obviously) raved about “Isosceles” so my suggestion would be to try it if you can find it.
Wishin credited Melissa Uhte from the Aristocrat for calming her nerves leading up to the event, and just as Uhte told her, it went off great. Held in the beautiful “Oxford Room” on the second floor of the Aristocrat, the approximate 100 attendees were having an apparent fun time.
Wishin also said that Girls Pint Out has had many international requests to expand but they are not quite ready to do that. She mentioned the swift growth the non-profit organization has had in just five years but she wants to keep a handle on things before they grow further. Sort of like the brewery that is wary of growing too fast, if GPO were a brewery, they would have already expanded and added more fermenters.
I can personally attest to the good work that the Julian Center does and I applaud Girls Pint Out for pairing up with them in this great event. Happy Birthday!
Cheers!
A hardy thank you Girls Pint Out and all of the participating sponsors for graciously giving back to our community!
You can reach Rick on twitter @indybeersleuth and at indybeersleuth@gmail.com.
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