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Packed bar inside :Projekt during the Folk Hero Brewery grand opening

Folk Hero Brewery Grand Opening, :Projekt

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13 Kegs Later

Some breweries start with investors and a marketing plan. Folk Hero started with Zach Hooper, a Texan with a handful of friends. In his own words, he also spent years going back and forth with about 500 Slovenian agencies and ministries.

On Saturday, 17 October, it finally poured.

The grand opening took over :Projekt Piverija and spilled out into the street. There were eight taps and eight brand-new beers: a lager, a saison, two IPAs and a gose done three ways. Dober Texas brought proper Texas BBQ, the kind you’d expect at a rodeo rather than on a fancy plate. Guts Mag did the poster, and a very small dog did more networking than anyone else there.

Folk Hero Brewery grand opening poster by Guts Mag

By the end of the night, more than 13 kegs were empty. Five days later they’d served over 1,000 beers. Not bad for a brewery that’s barely a week old.

I caught the first couple of hours, before I had to run to Godibodi Festival. That means well-behaved photos: golden light, first pours, BBQ still on the plates. Whatever happened after dark stays between Folk Hero, :Projekt and people I’m quite sure didn’t run Ljubljana Marathon the next day. Quite sure.

Smiling guest holding a beer and a small dog outside :Projekt at the Folk Hero grand opening
Guest raising her arms outside :Projekt Beershop & Bar at the Folk Hero grand opening
A Folk Hero beer handed across the bar at :Projekt
Chalkboard tap list with Folk Hero beers on the wall at :Projekt
A Folk Hero beer handed across the bar at :Projekt
Guest in a scarf raising a beer at the bar during the Folk Hero grand opening
Framed painting of a glowing beer glass held up in the street outside :Projekt
Four friends hugging at the :Projekt entrance during the Folk Hero grand opening
Guest drinking hazy beer from a Folk Hero glass
Tray of Texas BBQ sandwiches by Dober Texas at the Folk Hero grand opening
Laughing bearded guest outside :Projekt at dusk
Street full of people outside :Projekt at blue hour during the Folk Hero grand opening

Cheers, Zach, and congrats to everyone who helped build this from scratch.