Small Town Brewery was founded in 2010 by Tim Kovac, a homebrewer from Wauconda, Illinois. Kovac had been experimenting with homebrewing since 1988; he created a root beer that had a higher alcohol content than traditional soft drinks, and he soon realised that he had stumbled upon something special.

After years of perfecting his recipe, Kovac began selling his root beer at local farmers' markets and festivals. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and demand quickly outpaced his ability to brew the beer at home. That was when Konvac got the idea of opening his own brewery.

In 2012, Kovac decided to take the leap and turn his homebrewing hobby into a full-time business. He leased a space in his hometown of Wauconda and began brewing Not Your Father's Root Beer on a larger scale.

This unique brew was created using an old-world technique known as “gruit”, where, instead of using hops, it was brewed with herbs and spices like caraway, anise, and mugwort. These herbs and spices act as bittering agents that balance out the natural sweetness from the sarsaparilla, wintergreen, and vanilla in the beer.

The root beer quickly gained a cult following, with fans raving about its smooth, creamy taste and its nostalgic flavour that will transport you back to the roaring '90s. Not Your Father's Root Beer also had a higher alcohol content than traditional root beer, which added to its appeal for some drinkers.

What started as a homebrewing experiment has turned into a national sensation, with Not Your Father's Root Beer becoming one of the most recognizable brands in the industry. Small Town Brewery's commitment to quality and its small-town roots have made it a beloved fixture in the world of craft beer.