About
Small Town Brewery is dedicated to crafting gruit-inspired beers. Gruit–German for herbs–describes the ancient practice of bittering ales with roots, spices, flowers, and berries. Tim Kovac, founder and brewmaster of Small Town Brewery, uses a proprietary technique to infuse a specialty blend of herbs and spices into his brewing process to create gruit-inspired beers with the unmistakable taste of nostalgia featuring classic American flavors.

Admin Note: Small Town Brewery and Taproom have closed after the sale of the brand in 2018. 2019 relaunched with a new brand under the Pabst umbrella with only 2 products. The original owner of Small Town has opened a up a new brewery in Cary, IL under the name Spirit Water
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Sledutah (12649) reviewed
Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery
11 years ago
6.9/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
Bottle shared at RBSG-PDX
Clear brown with a small brown head, some lacing. If you like root beer this is for you, with a kick
Good
Tried from Bottle on 21 Jun 2015 at 19:08
patrickctenchi (4986) reviewed
Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery
11 years ago
8/10 — Appearance 10 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 10 Overall 7
Bottle: Pours a deep rubied-brown with a quick (and astonishingly audible) fizzing tan head....gone in a flash. Smells exactly like root beer.....taste is also a match, though sweeter than the real thing....needs more carbonation, but other than that.....it seems to be a nearly perfect example of a root BEER.
Tried from Bottle on 21 Jun 2015 at 08:23
jmagnus87 (3303) ticked
Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery
11 years ago
2/10
Tried on 20 Jun 2015 at 21:37
Ferris (26019) reviewed
Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery
11 years ago
6.8/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle - Smells and tastes just like root beer. Sweet, vanilla and sticky sugars with a touch spices. Interesting, but not what I would consider beer.
Tried from Bottle on 18 Jun 2015 at 18:01
andrewje41 (7956) reviewed
Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery
11 years ago
7/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
12 oz bottle poured. Here is a fun, unique brew to try. Pours black, and very soda like with the high carb and fast fading fizz head. Aroma is exactly what I would expect from a "real root beer." Flavor comes off to me as a soda root beer, with some sort of spike. Has a boozy note to it, though it’s light. Black licorice, and a long, sweet, cream soda like finish. Glad I got a couple of these. Very fun brew. Let’s find one of these strong ones now. Good stuff.
Tried from Bottle on 17 Jun 2015 at 23:42
Drake (22980) reviewed
Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery
11 years ago
6.5/10 — Appearance 4 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
Bottle shared at a tasting, 5/15/15. Clear copper, no head. Aroma of vanilla and root beer. The taste is vanilla, root beer, herbal notes. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, Not all that beery, but pretty interesting.
Tried from Bottle on 17 Jun 2015 at 00:34
Douglas88 (7980) reviewed
Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery
11 years ago
5.9/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 5 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
12 ounce bottle from a grocery store. Pours a clear mahogany color with a small white head. A big sweet sugary spicy root beer nose. The flavor is vanilla, clear root beer, some oddly fitting alcohol. Very smooth. The core is a spicy sweet sugary beverage. Not super drinkable in the sense of being a soda. But good. Unique. A few thoughts half a glass later. Actually, I dislike this. It’s too sweet, syrupy. Almost medicinal like. Not my thing.
Tried from Bottle on 31 May 2015 at 23:33
GenDV138 (9261) reviewed
Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery
11 years ago
7.4/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 6 Overall 7.5
12 oz bottle poured into a tulip-style pint glass. Clear dark cola brown with thin head that fades quickly like soda. Aromas of root beer, light licorice, spice, root beer barrel candy. Tastes of root beer, subtle licorice, a bit of vanilla, spices. Light body with a semi-dry finish. Pretty much smells/tastes spot on like root beer. No real beer-like qualities evident but a tasty gimmick.
Tried from Bottle on 30 May 2015 at 01:54
Frothingslosh (20518) reviewed
Not Your Father's Root Beer (10.7%) from Small Town Brewery
11 years ago
5.5/10 — Appearance 4 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 4 Overall 6
Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured an almost black color with a small foamy beige head that faded quickly and left no lacing. The aroma was root beer and seemed flat. The flavor was root beer and vanilla. Medium length finish. Light body and undercarbonated. Alcohol well hidden. Tasted like soda.
Tried from Bottle on 24 May 2015 at 22:14
johnnnniee (7623) reviewed
Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery
11 years ago
7.2/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Bottle from Bert’s Dark brown with ruby highlights at the edges. Smallish off white head dissipates almost instantly. Vanilla, wintergreen root beery aroma and flavor. Tastes exactly like root beer, very little beer flavor or aroma, but tasty.
Tried from Bottle on 17 May 2015 at 19:53