Breeze Galindo, Snallygaster, and Streetcar 82

Welcome back to another exciting episode of DC Beer, the podcast where we dive deep into the world of craft beer in the nation's capital. We have a fantastic lineup for you in today's episode, with our hosts Michael Stein, Brandy Holder, Jacob Berg, and Jordan Harvey — joined by special guest host Breeze Galindo! We're also joined by special guests Daniella Reyna and Andrew Fernandez from Streetcar 82 (voiced by Marvin Feggins).

Today, we'll spotlight Breeze, former lead brewer at Other Half in New York, who has become a passionate advocate for inclusivity in our community. She's one of the founders of Luminary Voices, a platform created to empower and inspire women in the craft beer industry. Our hosts will discuss the lack of representation and opportunities for women, highlighting the need to amplify their voices and celebrate their achievements. With their own success and impact in the industry, our hosts will share their experiences and the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the craft beer world.

We'll also delve into Streetcar 82, the deaf-owned and operated brewery in Hyattsville, Maryland, with two of their top team members, Dani and Andrew. They talk about the exciting growth of the community around their brewery.

But that's not all! We're thrilled to announce that DC Beer is sponsoring the Podcast Stage at Snallygaster! The live show will feature interviews and panels with visiting breweries to join us on stage. Get ready for an unforgettable experience, as other podcasts and the Women's Brew Culture Club will also be part of the festivities.

Throughout the episode, we'll discover the changes that have been taking place in the craft beer scene. From increasing diversity among customers to collaborations with Streetcar 82 that have brought more Latino business owners into the fold, the industry is embracing new perspectives and exciting opportunities. And we'll explore how non-verbal communication is playing a role at Streetcar 82, creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone.

So grab a cold beer, get comfortable, and join us for another thrilling episode of DC Beer!

Thanks to our monthly supporters

• Jeff
• Michael O'Connor
• Favio Garcia
• Josh
• Ellen Daniels
• Juan Deliz
• Mike Lastort
• James Wisnieski
• Brian Minch
• Chris Frome
• Jon Gilgoff
• Sam
• Chip
• Tory Roberts
• Steven M Quartell
• Chris DeLoose
• Amy Crone
• Clifton B
• Scott Pavlica
• Greg Antrim
• jeffrey garrison
• Joshua Learn
• Alexis Smith
• A t
• Dan Goldbeck
• Anthony Budny
• Greg Parnas
• Frank Chang
• Mikahl Tolton
• Kim Klyberg
• Chris Girardot
• Alyssa
• jeffrey katz
• Andrew MacWilliams
• Jamie Jackson
• Meegan
• Mike Rucki
• Jason Tucker
• Nick Gardner
• Amber Farris
• Sarah Ray
• Peter Jones
• Blue2024
• Brad Stengel
• Matt Winterhalter
• Bill and Karen Butcher
• Jordan Harvey
• Justin Broady
• Stephen Claeys
• Julie Verratti
• DFA Howie Kendrick

Creators & Guests

Host

Brandy Holder

This southern girl got a late start in the beer world, but with such a bold and intoxicating personality behind the name, booze was destined to be a part of her endeavors.

Host

Jacob Berg

Jake’s beer education began when his dad brought home a 6-pack of Brooklyn Lager in the mid-90s. It was love at first sip.

Host

Jordan Harvey

As a born and raised Georgian, lover of music, and HBCU advocate, Jordan’s affinity for craft beer kicked off after being exposed to the craft beer scene in Pennsylvania and the legendary beer scene in Europe.

Host

Mike Stein

Michael Stein is President of Lost Lagers, Washington, DC’s premier beverage research firm. His historic beers have been served at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Polish Ambassador’s residence.

Producer

Richard Fawal

President of DC Beer Media LLC and Publisher of DCBeer.com and The DC Beer Show

What is The DC Beer Show?

The official podcast of DCBeer.com! Everything you need to know about the people, places, and brews that make the DMV America’s best beer scene, including the best local places for eats, brews, trivia, live music, and more! Learn about the latest trends in craft beer – from the beers, to the breweries, to the business – from the editors of DC Beer.

Breeze Galindo [00:00:00]:
You're listening to the DC Beer Show. I'm Breeze Galindo. Buckle up, you guys. It's about to get wild.

Jacob Berg [00:00:12]:
Welcome, everybody, to the DC Beer Show. We are at DC Beer across social media, number 35 on the Itunes podcast charts, but number 1 in your hearts, here with 2 special guests. Really, four special guests. 3 of whom are from Streetcar 82 and 1 Breeze Galindo.
Breeze, what are you drinking this evening?

Breeze Galindo [00:00:34]:
I am drinking a table saison from Schilling, and I always butcher well, not always, I sometimes butcher the name, and it's called Hemmel. Is this correct, you guys? Help me out. If not,

Jacob Berg [00:00:45]:
Yes. The rare non-lager Shilling. Jordan, what are you drinking this evening?

Jordan Harvey [00:00:51]:
Going in the complete opposite direction, straight to the hops. Juice, Juicy, it's one of the flagship IPAs from Ever Grain,, one of my favorite breweries out of the Central Pennsylvania area. Brandy, what are you having tonight?

Brandy Holder [00:01:06]:
Well, I did the pre-show interview. So while I was doing that, I had a Caboose, from from Other Falf, which is the Helles style lager, but I am actively drinking a beer from my Cleveland spoils, an English style mild ale, and it's only 3.8, which it should be, from Old Thunder. So thanks. Shout out to Old Thunder for being cool while, Matt and I visited. So yeah. Mister Stein, are you drinking from a Stein or a can tonight?

Michael Stein [00:01:41]:
I'm drinking from a Krug. Oh. Yeah! and I am having Ivy City from Other Half, billed as a Czech style lager, this one really fits the bill because it's decocted. I was there yesterday with, Erika, you know, Craft Beer Cellar, owner, our good friend, good friend of the site, and so we had some of those Caboose, And then we had some Ivy City, and I'm thrilled. This batch tastes great. It's probably my favorite to date. It's decoctant, so it's a little fuller, a little rounder. It's just firing on all cylinders.

Brandy Holder [00:02:19]:
So I don't know if our listeners are aware, and it's actually coincidental that 2 of us are drinking other half beers, but miss Breeze Galindo, hails from, or formally hails from Other Half based out of New York. I was very, very fortunate enough to meet this amazing human at the women's panel recently hosted by Other Half and Erika at Craft Beer Cellar. And, I immediately and please don't be angry about what I'm about to say.

Brandy Holder [00:02:53]:
Got a girl crush on Breeze, so I'm so excited to have her on. I'm kinda geeking out. I think we all adore Breeze. So, I want Breeze to basically just shoot the shit with us while we're on the show tonight, if that's okay with you guys. Before we start shooting the shit, I wanna get some events out of the way, I guess. But most of the events that we're focusing on is Snally. I'm always super pumped about Snally. We all are.

Brandy Holder [00:03:24]:
It's the biggest beer festival in DC. I feel kind of overwhelmingly excited this year because, if you subscribe to our newsletters, you might know thatDC Beer will have a stage, like a fucking DC Beer Show stage! and Snally. Sorry for clapping, Richard. The DC Beer Show will be pretty much “live” with interviews and panels from some of the visiting breweries, I'm currently curating a panel of women owned breweries to join us on stage. This is where the Women's Brew Culture Club will meet. We are always present at Snally, all of the DC beer crew, but this year we will be PRESENT, like, present present present. There'll be a few other podcasts joining the stage as well during the time, so make sure you check it out and nerd out with us, please. Other than that huge information, prepare your livers, everybody.

Brandy Holder [00:04:14]:
you'll be okay. You'll survive. Just drink a lot of water, do the Pedialyte. Jake and Jordan, what else what other events we got going on before Snally?

Jacob Berg [00:04:25]:
Keeping it NRG. So the family fun there starts with Coast to Coast at Church Key on Wednesday 11th. “Coast to Coast”, meaning they've got Bottle Logic from California, they've got Weld Works from Colorado, they've got, Xul from Tennessee, a couple main breweries like Bellwoods. Then 2 different NRG spots are gonna do sort of like a competing events. “Support our Shores”, which means oysters and guest beers at Blue Jacket on the 12th. So, Blue Jacket beers, some guest beers, Snally is for a good cause. This is Support Our Shores also for a good cause, a non profit organization called Oyster South. And then, I've made fun of Halfway Crooks before, for being from Atlanta But jacking a Mob Deep lyric and so we're gonna have 4 Georgia breweries at Church Key. 4 dope Breweries in a Cadillac.

Jacob Berg [00:05:27]:
Yeah. Jordan can tell you a little bit something.

Brandy Holder [00:05:29]:
How do you feel about that, Jordan?

Jordan Harvey [00:05:30]:
I always like to see my Georgia breweries, especially the good ones, are always out there shining. So, I'm excited. A lot of things to look forward to. And we're kind of going into the tail end of Oktoberfest because technically it is still upon us. So, if your liver wasn't ready, it definitely, should get ready or not, and that's perfectly fine. Trust me. I'll probably take it easy the next several weeks, but before we get into, everything that's coming for Snallygaster, got some exciting things happening tonight. So this is dropping in on Friday, so tonight, you can check out a free beer tasting with Cusha, at Choice Wine and Beer.

Jordan Harvey [00:06:15]:
Definitely check that out. That gets kicked off just on top of our happy hour around 4 PM tonight. Then we have, Rustico. They're still kicking with the Oktoberfest. So If you've been busy with getting back to school and everything else that happens in the fall, that's definitely something to look forward to before, SnallyGaster takes over DC and the whole DMV area. Then for those nerds out there, there's a murder mystery theme at Atlas. That's actually tomorrow, so, definitely check that out. That's something that I think excuse me.

Jordan Harvey [00:06:44]:
Not tomorrow. It's Sunday. Definitely check that out. I'll be looking forward to that because it's not just spooky season, it's all the suspense and thrillers and all the whodunits out there as well, so, a lot of good and fun things to look forward to. And then on Thursday, the 12th, the Nature Conservancy, they present a “Taste of Virginia”, Black Narrows, Crooked Run, and Fine Creek. And not to leave out, one of my favorite, hop Factory's out of Virginia Vasen, Richmond's very own, so a lot of things to look forward to. Yeah.

Jordan Harvey [00:07:18]:
Breeze, any of those events are you looking forward to any of those? I know it's a lot of things to look forward to, especially, And the lager and the the light beer wave also kinda shift dark. Any of those jump out to you?

Breeze Galindo [00:07:31]:
I'm a really big fan of halfway crooks. So if anybody has a beef with my boys and trying to talk smack, just know just know that Me and my crew, we run deep. I will call all my cousins out to start something. I won't say what, but we also do love murder mysteries for a specific reason. But I love them, and I love the way what they put out all the time. And I love Sean and Yaron. I think they're fantastic. They're such great people, and, I'm excited to see them out there.

Breeze Galindo [00:08:01]:
Some really big logger person, and I, again, I do love murder mysteries. It's kind of my thing. If I have a cold or a flu, I will very much go deep into the YouTubes and just watch how, like, a murder gets done from, like, point A, and then I go through all the trial stuff. And then, after that, I'll go back to, like, the investigative part, and I'll try to, like, pause and see, like, where exactly the person got stabbed or, you know, buried. This is really dark now, so let's just change it up. Let's talk about something else.

Michael Stein [00:08:31]:
I love you as a mystery connoisseur. You're like, “this was before BBC launched in 2015, so we're talking 1975 or 1985, Season 2, episode 15”. Like… like, love it. Love it. But Halfway Crooks is great, and you know what's hilarious about them? They send this Kolsch, which they call like a cold style lager, or what do they call it? Some interesting name for it. And I was talking to, Beth and Julie, who own The Brew Shop, and they were like, We're moving a ton of Farina, the Halfway Crook's Kolch, Which is so funny because the DC metro region for like historically for a long time, historically like the last 20 years, has loved Kolsch, and we've been really lucky to see the Kolsch, the German pills, the Belgian pills, all like on draft, little bit of cans in the District Proper little bit in Virginia and it's just great to see them have a warm reception in in the DC Metro.

Brandy Holder [00:09:31]:
Let's bring in our guests from Streetcar 82. Daniella Reyna and Andrew Fernandez have been the 2 main faces, super smiley faces from Dani, I see you when I visit Streetcar 82. For those of you who may not know, Streetcar 82, located in Hyattsville, Maryland, is 100% deaf owned and operated brewery owned by Mark Burke and his wife, Amy. They just celebrated their 5th anniversary and they're going strong, so you should visit. On the show, we have Dani and Andrew. Welcome to the show.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:10:05]:
Thank you. Thank you, Brandy. Thanks for introducing

Brandy Holder [00:10:08]:
us. We will hear the voice of their interpreter, Marvin Feggins, during this interview. So thank you, Marvin.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:10:14]:
You're very welcome.

Brandy Holder [00:10:15]:
Let's get in. Hi, Dani. Hi, Andrew. I would love for you to tell the audience what your roles at the brewery are and a little bit about yourself. Dani, can you go first?

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:10:28]:
Okay. So I'm Daniella. So I am, the front of the house team member. So I've been with Streetcar 82 since day 1, you know, so I've been I was with after the first 6 months, now started serving beer there. So I'm like the one of the many faces that started Streetcar 82. Alright. This is Andrew. So I am, the back of the house brewer, and I produce, the beer in 882, and also I've been with Streetcar 82 since day 1.

Brandy Holder [00:11:01]:
Have you been brewing since day 1, Andrew?

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:11:04]:
Yes. Actually, I started brewing about 2 years ago with Mark. So, you know, he's one of the person that didn't teach me, and I've been brewing other than Mark.

Brandy Holder [00:11:14]:
Yeah. I thought you were front of house for a while, so I'm glad that you're back in the brewhouse. That's cool.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:11:19]:
Yeah. I'm still finding a house, so I've been finding a house, and then also I got into brewing, but then, I maintained that, but also I specialize in the events with Streetcar 82 as well.

Brandy Holder [00:11:32]:
Oh, okay. Cool. Dani, I know you you work front of house. What changes have you seen at Streetcar in the year since you've been there? Obviously, since day one. I know you see a lot of regulars, but the crowd seems to grow and grow every time I'm there. Yes. Just wow. That's a very good question. So it's a lot has changed, But focusing on the most important part when I first joined, like, the customer base was, mostly, you know, white people, you know, mostly in the Brewery industry. So we're starting to see a more diverse of customers within the years, like, you know, with our food trucks That's coordinated by Streetcar 82, and Streetcar 82 has started collaborating with a lot of diversity within the business owners, a lot of Latino business business owners, so That's been a great thing. A lot of changes in customers from a lot of nondiversity to a lot of diversity. So that's a big part that we've noticed.

Brandy Holder [00:12:29]:
I love to see that. And what about the beer drinking aspect, Andrew. You know, I know that you're brewing now. Do you find that certain beers that you help brew are more popular than others?

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:12:45]:
So for the past few years, I have noticed that our beer has been getting better. So we started brewing a lot of more, different beers on tap from farmhouse ales to saisons, to IPAs now. We have the Hefe. So just an array of different beers that we've tried To make and I've noticed a lot of more customers have navigated towards Streetcar 82.

Brandy Holder [00:13:10]:
I would agree. And I know that when he first opened, really, the his strongest beers were his Belgians, like his, you know, more malty forward, but he's really, And I'm hoping a lot of that is also you, Andrew. There are so many Different styles that are done beautifully, like the Colonel. I mean, that's my go to beer. It's such a beautiful crisp beer, And it's really hard to make that style of beer. People don't think that, but it really is. So if you can make a light lager That is well done. Then then you you're doing it

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:13:52]:
right. Yes. I agree. Yep. I definitely agree.

Brandy Holder [00:13:57]:
So, Andrew, what inspired you to get into the brewing side? I know that you started front of house, but why did you wanna get in and get dirtier.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:14:07]:
So long story short, I've always wanted to get into the brewing industry, and this was before Streetcar 82 opened. So I didn't know Mark Burke until, you know, a lot of people said, Mark is planning to open up a brewery, so I reached out to him and found out. And I was like, wow. And he was like, yeah. Sure. Come on in. And also, I was already in the process of buying my own home brewing equipment, and I started doing home brewing myself, actually. So I just really wanted to get into it and really understand beer instead of just dreaming it and, you know, having, like, these big corporations, type of beers.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:14:47]:
I really want to have that type of micro Brewing beer and have those different aspects of taste. And also for myself, this was, like, a big step to really get into it.

Brandy Holder [00:14:58]:
I mean, it's a huge leap because usually when we interview guests who brew, they always start out as home brewing before they start their own brewery or started another brewery, but you had this opportunity at an actual brewery before you even really started home brewing. So that That's kind of the opposite that we usually see, and that's so exciting for you. And I'm sure you're gonna learn so much more and especially with the business side of the industry and not just the beer.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:15:33]:
Right. Right. So this this definitely was a big step for myself. And not only that, You know, as a Latino person, I've always wanted to see the numbers of White people in the industry, and I've always wanted to change that. I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to add my culture to The brewing industry. So that was something new.

Brandy Holder [00:15:56]:
What does your culture look like in the beer industry?

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:16:00]:
It's something that I really wanna change. Like, for example, like, most of the times, we see a lot of lagers. We see the dark lagers. And, you know, I wanna add some, you know, Latino flavors because, you know, Yeah. We have 1 or 2 breweries out there that, oh, add mole to their beers. So that type of spices, those type of flavors, I really wanna, you know, get into that side of it, like mole, barrel aged beers, things like that. I really wanna get into that and show people, like, there's so much more to brewing than just what we have out there right now.

Brandy Holder [00:16:33]:
Yeah. I know some of my, Friends are doing, like, horchata beers and a lot of different flavors that that bring out, Like a Tepache beer, which I think Streetcar did, which, you know, it's so cool that This is why diversity is great. I don't have to tell everybody why diversity is great, but there's so many different flavors and things to experience. And even if you're not super knowledgeable about beer, there are ways in which you can be knowledgeable or at least feel comfortable. And it's about feeling comfortable in the place that you're drinking because it's all about the experience. And what I've always witnessed at Streetcar 82, even though I am the minority at Streetcar 82 Because all of the staff are deaf, but I do my hardest to communicate. I've taken ASL class and every I learn a new sign every single day.

Brandy Holder [00:17:39]:
That's my goal in life. Not everyone has to do that, but the the employees at Streetcar Have a of of a large obstacle when it comes to having new, customers come in who maybe aren't aware that staff behind the bar are gonna be communicating with you not verbally. I know that you guys get this question a lot, but I think it's important for our listeners to to get your side of how You manage that and how how things have changed because I know that when you first opened, people were a little bit I don't wanna use the word hesitant, but just nervous because they didn't know how to communicate because they were the minority and it kinda flip the the the roles, and I love I love that. It makes other people want to either try or experience something new.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:18:37]:
Yes. Most definitely. So one thing amazing about Streetcar 82 from day one was the customer is just, like, froze in place. It's like, what? And then we had to guide them, and it's like that was, that was, like, the opposite side. It's like and then some customer come in and say, oh, I learned some sign and ordered some beer in sign language. So, that was a big aspect, and a lot of people, you know, came in and people started to really know about it. And the deaf community came out as well a lot, And the staff is very diverse, so that's something amazing. Yeah.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:19:05]:
And that's one thing I love about you, Brandy. Like, you started picking up sign language, And you picked up very quickly too. A lot I know a lot of people don't pick up as quick as you. A lot of people learn. It's like, but you had that passion and that motivation. And a lot of people, you know, at Streetcar 82, we really loved having you coming by. And to add to this comment, It's just nice because growing up as a deaf person and with deaf people, we have to try to accommodate with other people and other businesses, and people look at us just like, oh, we don't know what to do with them. They freeze up, and they get real stuck.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:19:41]:
But now that the roles are reversed, Like, we're accommodating them. Come on in. We're ready to help you. So we we've seen a lot of changes in people coming in, new people come in, and they're like, Okay. They keep it going. They're motivated to order from us and try. Some people were like, hey. You can try to write down on a pad And use that as modes of communication.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:20:00]:
That's just a great thing.

Brandy Holder [00:20:02]:
Thank you, Andrew, for that answer. And the answer right before that was Danny. For everybody listening, and for those who may not be able to listen, we will have a transcript of this, for our visitors to the site. So I wanted to ask 1 more question before we get going. As we honor Hispanic Heritage Month, and as I assume you may know that the percentage of Hispanic and Latino people in the beer industry is a shockingly low number, Demographically speaking, do you notice this to be representative of the drinking crowd at StreetCar?

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:20:40]:
So, honestly, how society can, you know, really show the support of diversity, they can just, Like, try to support people, not just take their flavors and take their cultures. Like, yeah, we're celebrating Hispanic heritage month, we don't have any Latino business owner or Latino, workers. So it's like, let's let's try to do that. Let's do something different. That's a big part. Bring Latinos and Hispanic people to work with them, and they will also bring their customers and their and their culture as well. So that's a big part of it.

Brandy Holder [00:21:12]:
That was a great answer. I love that answer. Thank you. Dani, tell everybody about your side business. I don't wanna ruin it, but, Yeah, tell everybody. It's great.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:21:25]:
Oh my god. Yes. I'm so excited to share. Thank you. So my business name is Reyna's Dog Treats. So, yes, I do, make and sell dog treats, and it's also with minimal ingredients. It's only 4 ingredients.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:21:41]:
So the main ingredients are spent grains that I use. So I do, use those spent grains and make those dog treats. And believe it or not, the dogs go crazy for it. Like, I make them really small in really small batches. So I'm just a, you know, solo business owner, so that's what I do. And the plan is to, you know, end my official LLC process, and then I'm a get the ball rolling and go bigger.

Brandy Holder [00:22:06]:
I know that when you've made your small batches, they sell like hotcakes, as they would say.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:22:12]:
I'm very excited. It's just just an amazing growth coming forward. It's a long road come thank you.

Brandy Holder [00:22:17]:
Well, everyone, you have heard the voice of Marvin, but I want everyone to go visit Streetcar 82 In Hyattsville, it is a lovely place, Mark and Amy and the whole staff. It's just such a warm place when you walk in. Yes. It's family owned, but all the staff is part of family too. Like, everybody hangs out, and it's just so welcoming and inviting. And They have live music. They have all kinds of events all the time. And if you can find the ASL classes, please sign up for that and learn something new.

Brandy Holder [00:22:55]:
It was it was awesome. Thank you, Danielle or Dani. I call her Dani. She goes by Dani, and Andrew for being on the DC Beer Show.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:23:05]:
And Thank you.

Brandy Holder [00:23:07]:
I adore all of you, and just thanks for being you.

Dani and Andrew with Marvin [00:23:12]:
So thank you. It was an honor to be upon this opportunity. Thank you so much again.

Brandy Holder [00:23:17]:
Anytime. I love you guys. I wanna know what's going on with Breeze because, like, it's not every day or every episode we get to have Breeze on. Breeze, what's been going on with you?

Breeze Galindo [00:23:30]:
Well, my last day at Other Half was on September 28th. I was there for 4 years, and my last year, I Was the lead brewer, and then there was just, like, this part where I kind of really felt like it was time to move on, to kinda have more growth in the industry, and I very much I've I've all let's put it this way. If I would have gone to another brewery somewhere in, like, Kansas or Ohio or any of those Breweries four years ago. I can tell you right now, I wouldn't have never been at this point, at this level of my career in terms of success, So it there's really something to to look at where a brand like Other Half can very much help your career grow. Now at the same time, it's kind of, it's kinda like a give and take or, like, a 50/50 find of relationship situation where now that you are in the space, what else can you do while you have this platform? So with that, I I became a board member for the Michael Jackson Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that benefits the BIPOC community in brewing and distilling. And within that foundation, I also started the mentorship program, which also allows, a level of support, not only for those who have received Scholarships, but also those who are going through the application process, maybe didn't get the scholarship the 1st time around, but were there to very much pair them up with other brewery owners or head brewers or leaders in the industry that can maintain that stead that steady rise to success and make sure that their career is solid, right, which is fantastic. Within that, I also started, Luminary Voices, which is a traveling forum. I started that with, with Amanda McLamb from resident culture.

Breeze Galindo [00:25:22]:
So she and I, we coordinate being able to have this forum where we can go to any brewery or any festival to be able to talk about what other whatever topics that festival or said brewery would like to discuss. So for example, just recently, I was at Oktoberfest by Schilling, and I was invited out there to to have a luminary voices there, and our topic was mental health. And it was extremely important to really touch on mental health because it doesn't only affect women in the industry, but it also affects men in the industry as well. So it was really great to have those discussions there, but also see how many people in that room just resonated with the discussions and the topics. These conversations don't have to be really cringeworthy or cringeworthy at all or uncomfortable. These conversations can just bring awareness and a sense of, like, Oh, I didn't know you guys were also going through that too because also me, and then having those amazing discussions after the fact. So I really love that about Luminary Voices. And while I was at Other Half, I also started the Other Half Women's Forum, which is a platform that highlights women in the industry and creating a space within the Other Half Taproom to be able to bring women in, tell their stories, not just in brewing, but also outside of the brewing industry as well.

Breeze Galindo [00:26:32]:
The purpose of that was to inspire and empower women to just have a space to have a voice, and that doesn't really happen often in the industry. And if it is, it's always the same women Every single time. And what Luminary Voices is doing and what the Other Half women's forum did was, Hey. You are doing great things over there. You need to come over here because people need to know who you are and people need to know your story and what you're doing because even that alone allows more, women to be inspired, but also onlookers who are curious about craft beer and allow to kinda peek in and see, like, hey. Maybe this is for me too. So it's almost like, yes, I was able to do so much with Other Half and because of Other Half. At the same time, I put in a lot of work to ensure that not only Brewing wasn't a factor in in my success of other half, but also the impact that I was able to make, not only in the New York in in the New York industry, But also outside of that as well because I've also been invited to speak at other conferences in regards to DEI in the industry.

Breeze Galindo [00:27:31]:
So in terms of moving forward, I'll be. I'm still working with the Michael Jackson Foundation. I'm still doing Luminary Voices. And, I have another project coming up that I absolutely cannot Talk about, but I'll be able to unleash that in in the little butterfly. Okay. Yeah. In the meantime, I'm just kind of taking a very little tiny Break and by little tiny, like, this week where I can just answer some emails and, maybe, like, take a walk around the park And maybe have coffee in the morning without having to run out, you know, things like that. So that's me.

Brandy Holder [00:28:07]:
Well, we appreciate you being on the show, and thanks for doing everything that you, at this moment, do, for the beer scene women in In the beer scene and people of color in the beer scene and, you know, I I you are one of my role models because After the women's, panel, I started the women's brew culture club and I'm basically trying to Create a space for women to feel more comfortable and have education in in the beer scene, you know, even as beer drinkers, you know, not necessarily Behind you know, back of house or what have you, but, you know and we're meeting with females and and nonbinary who, You know, work in the beer industry and can just be an example, you know, saying, hey. Look at this person over here fucking crushing it. Let's go learn something from them or let's just go drink with them or and and you know? It it's about bringing more awareness to the lack of women in beer. So, you're doing great things and we appreciate it, for sure.

Breeze Galindo [00:29:18]:
Thank you. Thank you. One of the great things about brewing another hop was having access to all of the experimental hops and the new hops that were coming in And being able to see how they kind of, like, opened up not just on hot side but also on cold side, being able to see, like, what profiles they were throwing out, not just in flavor, but also in aroma. And to and to know that we were one of the 1st breweries to have access to that, that was really cool. I very much enjoyed that part. Mind you, I do love drinking lagers. That's kind of my jam, But it's been fun brewing Northeast IPAs and kind of seeing that process and also learning more about, the new Just hops in general from Sam and the programs that we have there about what we do. It's been fun.

Jordan Harvey [00:30:05]:
So to know, what are ways that people can support and reach out to you in terms of, Can we donate or give back to the Michael Jackson Foundation or Luminary Voices? Like, how can we support the cause that you have

Breeze Galindo [00:30:16]:
In terms of the Michael Jackson Foundation, you can absolutely donate to the Michael Jackson Foundation. We have a website, and it's the mfj.org and there it gives you all information that we have on how to donate and also being able to see like, if you know somebody who is really big in the industry, if you know somebody who has, a lot of, Like, say in what's going on, if they're, like, brewers or brewery owners, definitely have them hit us up. And if they're interested in becoming mentors as well because we're always excited to bring in new mentors who are always willing to take on new mentees throughout that time. In terms of Luminary Voices, if if there are any breweries out there or any festivals who would like to have Luminary Voices come through, we're very happy to do that And to collaborate to collaborate with other festivals and breweries, I can't stress enough how Much there's, like, the stigma on seeing a panel of women who want to talk about things that sometimes might be challenging to talk about because I feel and correct me if I'm wrong. This is would love to hear you guys' perspective on this. Sometimes I feel like when they see a panel of women talking about challenging conversations, I feel like the assumption is that we're gonna be just, like, Complaining or we're gonna be creating, like, a cancel culture with us trying to out people or trying to make people feel shameful because of the things that have happened in the industry, And I can't stress enough, that's not it at all, what we're trying to do. We're just trying to create space and be like, hey. We can also do what you can do, and, You know, we like to drink as well, so the luminary voices is very much that where sometimes people can be a little bit standoffish or concerned about, oh, what the top like, what are we gonna about what we're gonna, like, we're gonna call out this time.

Breeze Galindo [00:32:06]:
But once it happens, the relief or also, like, the The emotions in the room after the fact, it's it's very, it's almost like this chemistry or, like, this this magic in the air. I don't know. I'm getting really cheesy, but it's like this Awesome feeling afterwards. Everybody in the room feels it at the same time. And, also, the women who join me on these panels are women who have never done it before, are very much nervous. And once they start going in on it, they realize how much support they get back from the audience, And then they feel more empowered to be more open about their experiences of becoming leaders or becoming brewers, And their stories become more alive through that, so, you know, women having a voice isn't scary at all and, you know, I feel like cancel culture isn't really the way to move forward, And I think inviting more women to speak, just on any panel really, I feel like that would create more change and incorporate more of a Diverse and inclusive experience across the board in this industry. So, yeah, a way to support Lumineer versus be like, invite us Invite us out. We would love to come do it.

Breeze Galindo [00:33:13]:
Amanda and I love doing these things.

Brandy Holder [00:33:15]:
Thank you, Breeze Galindo, for joining us on the DC Beer Show tonight. I Don't know about anybody else, but I think I was the most geeked out. So I really appreciate you coming on, so thanks.

Breeze Galindo [00:33:27]:
Thank you so much for having me. Brandy, you're the best, and I had the best time meeting you guys and just talking about all of the things. So thanks for having me, you guys.

Jacob Berg [00:33:35]:
Thanks for listening everybody. Thank you Breeze. Thank you to the good folks at Streetcar82 and to Marvin as well. Happy Snallygaster week to all who celebrate. Please do hit up your local spots as well. Brewers, if you're coming in from out of town, ou should have those spots too. We make pretty good beer here. Be well, everybody, and we will see you out there.

Jacob Berg [00:33:58]:
Alright. We're at DC Beer across social media. Thanks for listening. We'll see you all later.