Small Town Brewery
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | John Dopak, Tim Kovac |
| Defunct | 2019 |
| Headquarters | Wauconda , United States |
| Products | Not Your Father's Root Beer, Not Your Father's Ginger Ale, Not Your Father's Vanilla Cream Ale |
| Parent | Pabst Brewing Company (equity interest) |
| Website | smalltownbrewery |
Small Town Brewery was a brewing company located in Wauconda, Illinois, recognized for producing the Not Your Father's line of flavored beers.
History
Established in 2010 by John Dopak and Tim Kovac, Small Town Brewery introduced Not Your Father's Root Beer in Illinois in 2012 following three years of development. The product initially appeared as a 19.5% abv keg offering available at local bars and liquor outlets. Subsequently, it expanded into bottled formats with reduced alcohol content, including a 5.9% abv 12-ounce bottle launched in 2014.
In March 2015, Small Town Brewery entered a distribution agreement with Pabst Brewing Company to bring Not Your Father's to a national audience. Pabst's ownership group, which includes CEO Eugene Kashper, later acquired an equity interest in both the brand and the brewery. The popularity of Not Your Father's Root Beer played a pivotal role in establishing the "hard soda" or flavored beer segment within the alcoholic beverage market.
The brewery inaugurated its Wauconda taproom in October 2015, offering a rotating menu of 16 beer varieties featuring distinctive flavors such as French Toast, Bourbon Pecan, and Strawberry Rhubarb.
Operations at Small Town Brewery concluded in 2019. In the same year, Kovac opened a new taproom named Spirit Water in Cary.
Products
Not Your Father's Root Beer is crafted using traditional brewing methods combined with botanicals, spices, and herbs including wintergreen, sarsaparilla bark, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla bean, and honey to evoke a classic root beer taste. It is distributed nationwide in two alcohol by volume (abv) strengths: 5.9% and 10.7%. The 5.9% abv six-pack became the top-selling craft beer in the United States during 2015.
The brand extended its offerings with Not Your Father's Ginger Ale debuting in November 2015 and Vanilla Cream Ale (4.1% abv) released in 2016. Presently, only the Root Beer and Lemonade variants remain part of the Not Your Father's product range.
Reception
Not Your Father's Root Beer achieved Second Place at the 2013 BeerHoptacular Beer of the Year competition and holds a score of 94 out of 100 for its 10.7% version on Beer Advocate.
Some professionals within the industry raised doubts concerning the brewing technique and legitimacy of its alcohol content, speculating that neutral grain spirits might be used or that it could be classified as a flavored malt beverage. Additional skepticism focused on assertions that no sugar is added and that all sweetness originates solely from grains and spices.