Varsity Brews: 10 Questions With Gali Hernandez

We’re not surprised that we included three people involved with the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling (MJF) on our list of “The 14 Top People to Watch in Craft Beer in 2025.”

Named after Michael James Jackson, one of the world’s most incredible beer and whiskey writers, the foundation strives to make the craft beer industry more diverse, just, and equitable by providing scholarship opportunities to underrepresented communities.

“Michael Jackson pushed me into rooms where people were not prepared to see me and used the fact he was a god to whom no one could say no,” MJF Founder and thirty-year Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver has told Hop Culture. “Who is he, and what is he doing here? That is what I heard in England while judging the Champion of Beer of Britain final panel in 1992. … If you’re a Person of Color, you have heard that whispered or felt that from behind a bar.”

The MJF aims to rewrite that narrative, equipping People of Color in the industry with the tools and education to advance in this industry despite its systemic barriers.

Since starting the foundation in 2020, Oliver and the MJF have provided funding for scholarships for fifty different People of Color in the industry.

These are educational opportunities that often come with a tremendous cost.

“What does a certificate cost? Four thousand dollars? Twelve thousand dollars? Twenty-three thousand dollars? Thirty-three thousand dollars?” remarked Oliver, admitting that even when he sat in the brewmaster chair, he required any new applicant to either have two to three years of experience or a certificate. “I thought I was doing the right thing, but it turned out that no Brown people ever showed up.”

A scholarship from the MJF covers those expenses and helps ensure that Black and Brown people can attend those interviews or even further their established businesses.

“If you don’t know how meaningful that is, ask them; ask me,” said Oliver. “I wished to god there was someone there for us. We have their back. And that’s important. You have their back. This is a beautiful thing.”

So we took Oliver’s advice.

We started asking MJF recipients what the scholarship meant to them.

In a new series we’re calling Varsity Brews—a nod to the fact that every MJF winner gets their own letter jacket—Hop Culture will directly discover the MJF’s impact in the real world.

Introducing Grimm Artisanal Ales Brewer Gali Hernandez

Photography courtesy of Miguel Rivas (@thebeertrekker)

Venezuelan-American brewer Galadriel (Gali) Hernandez joined the recent crop of the MJF award recipients, announced last October.

The Sir Geoff Palmer Scholarship for Brewing awardee, who will attend Siebel’s WBA Advanced Brewing Theory Program, says beer has always been a part of her life.

Starting as a production intern at Bronx Brewery, Hernandez also worked her way up with stints at Fifth Hammer.

Currently a brewer at Grimm, Gali says she feels “super honored and humbled” to join the MJF cohort.

Beyond improving her skills, Hernandez has long-term goals to change and evolve the industry.

Hernandez’s parents moved to the States for post-graduate education, working nights while attending school.

As a first-generation Latina, Hernandez says her family has inspired and always taught her to help others.

Now, she has made it her mission to inspire others.

We sat down with Hernandez to chat about childhood domino games, successfully brewing her first spontaneously fermented beer, and how she hopes to be a mentor for other BIPOC brewers.

10 Questions with Gali Hernandez, 2024 Recipient of the Sir Geoff Palmer Scholarship for Brewing at the MJF

Photography courtesy of Miguel Rivas (@thebeertrekker)

Grace Lee-Weitz: What are some of your earliest memories with beer?

Gali Hernandez: I remember visiting family in Venezuela and going with my aunt and uncles to buy plastic crates of beer to bring to play dominoes or for a cousin’s baptism. Beer has always been a symbol of connection, joy, and community.

GLW: Do you remember that first craft beer you had yourself, though?

GH: I have a very vivid memory of my first craft beer, which was a Bell’s Two-Hearted. I remember the aisle of the grocery store and the shelf it was on. I remember tasting that beer and feeling a momentous occasion had occurred in my life.

GLW: I felt very similar the first time I tried Goose Island 312. I remember the dingy bar I was in and that feeling that I’d discovered something new. How did you turn that feeling into the idea that you actually wanted to brew as a career?

GH: I started homebrewing and took a production internship at Fifth Hammer. I was the brewer there for a couple of months before becoming a brewer at Bronx Brewery. I stuck around there for a few years, but I felt ready to learn more and hungry for knowledge. At that time, Grimm was looking for someone on their production team, so the stars aligned.

GLW: What has your experience been like at Grimm?

GH: I’ve been there for a little over a year. I was hired as a packaging and cellar person but quickly moved to brewer. It’s been really cool learning all these different methods, such as decoction, turbid mashing, kettle souring, and barrel blending—things I’ve never done before, but now I can do them on my own.

GLW: In your time at Grimm, what beer have you brewed that you’ve been most proud of?

GH: The first [spontaneously fermented] beer I brewed was a very cool achievement. Since we did a turbid mash and racked that off into barrels, brewing that from start to finish was a very big personal milestone. I hope to taste it in a couple of years!

GLW: That is a great achievement! Just like it’s a pretty fantastic milestone to earn an MJF scholarship. How did you feel when you learned you’d been named an MJF recipient?

GH: I was just shocked. I didn’t think I would get it, so I’m super honored and humbled.

GLW: Since you’ll participate in Siebel’s WBA Advanced Brewing Theory Program, what are you hoping to gain from that course?

@thebeertrekker

GH: I’m looking forward to going deeper into brewing science and theoretical knowledge. A lot of the times when I’m on the brew deck, I’m just operating on autopilot and not understanding the why of everything I’m doing, so I’m hoping to explain more of the way and look more into the decision-making of what we’re doing here.

GLW: I’ve heard that your parents have greatly inspired you in your career. How has your parents’ story influenced your own?

GH: Sometimes coworkers tell me that I work hard, but I have a whole other example of what working hard looks like. My parents both got scholarships in the U.S. for post-grad. My mom was actually pregnant on the plane over here. They got their graduate degrees but also worked nights, so their drive has been a huge inspiration in my life. The tenacity to overcome whatever obstacle is in their path has hugely inspired me.

As a Latina, I definitely have this weight that I carry to fulfill all these things my parents have gone through and the dreams they have for me. I still feel that weight.

GLW: It sounds like you’re taking that weight seriously and hoping to pass that inspiration on to others. Moving forward as an MJF scholar in the industry, what are your goals for the future?

GH: They’ve changed and evolved the longer I’ve worked in the industry, but ultimately, I want to work in mentorship for future brewers, especially BIPOC brewers. As a first-generation Latina, I have been instilled with the idea that I should help others. If I can, I want to be there to support, provide resources, and share knowledge.

GLW: One last question: Knowing your parents greatly impacted you, how did they react when they learned you earned an MJF scholarship!?

GH: My mom passed a decade ago, but I’m sure she’d still be super proud. My dad is super proud! We had our birthday [at Grimm] together and made our version of tamales to celebrate. He’s very proud that I’m here and making good beer.