Girls Pint Out: JoBoy’s and The Squeeze Spot

Recently, the Susquehanna Valley chapter of Girls Pint Out met up at JoBoy’s and teamed up with the women at Squeeze Spot to present a night of casual beer imbibing and pint painting.

Being a night out for the ladies I tapped one of my cohorts (my wife) to attend in my stead while I snapped a few photos and chatted with organizer Nicole Matero. I’d never heard of Girls Pint Out; evidently it’s a big thing!

“We are a national organization and our mission is to build a community of women who love craft beer,” said Matero, who started the Susquehanna Valley branch in 2014 after she found the organization on Twitter. “We have our chapter, plus a newer chapter in Berks County and one in the Lehigh Valley.”

With its roots in Indianapolis, Ind., the “movement,” as they call it, soon spread to Arizona and Texas. Nationally, Girls Pint Out has more than 100 chapters in 40 states and Washington D.C.

Recently, the Susquehanna Valley chapter of Girls Pint Out met up at JoBoy’s and teamed up with the women at Squeeze Spot to present a night of casual beer imbibing and pint painting.

The Susquehanna Valley branch started with eight members discussing what kind of events they wanted to provide for area women. There are no membership costs and events are held in the Lancaster, Harrisburg, and York areas. Paint night was only the second ticketed event put on by the group, who often meet up at different bars with great tap selections or local brewery taprooms.

Twenty-nine people registered for the pint painting evening at JoBoy’s. After a meet up and optional dinner at the barbecue restaurant and brewery, the gang moved upstairs to the function room where they were met by Moe Boyer and Tina Palombo of Squeeze Spot. Squeeze Spot, located in downtown Ephrata, is a hands-on art venue offering traveling and on-site workshops.

On June 9, guests can BYOB to 30 E. Main St., Ephrata, for a “Flag Americana” Fundraising Event supporting Vets Sports (vetsports.org); included is step-by-step instructions for creating a patriotic finished product on canvas in about two and a half hours.

Back in Lititz, Moe and Tina were armed with an array of glassware and a wide variety of paints and brushes. The duo explained paint options, brushes, and techniques, plus offered personal guidance to help attendees with their creations.

The new artists of varying experience, age, and background, created striped pints and flowered wine glasses while enjoying a beer or two (or more) from the JoBoy’s selection. My wife stuck with her favorites, like Hopitude American IPA. Matero is into darker beers like porters and stouts. She’s also learned to like sours and high ABV Belgium beers recently.

“I went from not liking beer to beer snob in like 0.3 seconds,” said Matero. “I’ve made a concerted effort to try hoppy beers to see what all the hype is. I just don’t prefer them…. If it has Mosaic in it I am not drinking it!”

Interested in chillin’ with the ladies? Check out their Facebook page at facebook.com/GPOYPASVC, or follow them on Twitter at @GPOYPASVC.

“People come and make new friends every time,” said Matero.

Cheers and thanks for reading!

Michael C. Upton is a freelance writer specializing in arts and leisure. He welcomes comments at somepromcu@gmail.com and facebook.com/SomebodiesProductions.