Well known by locals for Bangs Lake, a natural glacial lake, Wauconda, Ill., is a small Chicagoland community with a population of just more than 13,000, based on the 2010 U.S. Census. However, this boating and fishing community now is known for much more: the birthplace of Not Your Father’s Root Beer (NYFRB).
The flagship product of Small Town Brewery, NYFRB is the creation of Tim Kovac, founder and brewmaster of the Wauconda, Ill.-based company. Kovac, who started homebrewing in 1988, actually can trace homebrewing back even further in his family’s history.