US favourite, Not Your Father’s Root Beer, has officially landed in England and Wales, signalling what is likely to be the next trend amongst craft beer lovers this side of the pond, thanks to a partnership between brewers Small Town Brewery and Britain’s largest independent brewery Charles Wells.
Inspired by the centuries old “gruit” brewing tradition, Not Your Father’s Root beer’s distinct flavour comes from using botanicals and spices such as sarsaparilla, Madagascar vanilla, oak, wintergreen, liquorice, honey, citrus and mint in the brewing process.
The ‘botanical craft root beer’ has already proven itself a very popular drink with beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers alike. After only one year in the U.S. market, Not Your Father’s Root Beer is the number two craft beer 6-pack bottle SKU in America and boasts the number one off-take in supermarkets, 35% above the number two.
Genna Burchell, Marketing Manager for World Beers at Charles Wells, said the distributor partnership with Small Town Brewery is a perfect fit as both breweries share a similar history: “No pun intended but Small Town Brewery and Charles Wells have similar roots with founders and ancestors who were naval captains that later went on to become brewers. Not Your Father’s Root Beer is an exciting addition to our portfolio and we’re excited to help Small Town Brewery give British beer drinkers a chance to try this traditional US favourite that we’re sure they will love.”
Small Town Brewery Founder, Tim Kovac, adds: “Charles Wells’ long history of quality and innovation is a perfect fit with our own company values. They’ve successfully introduced new varieties of beer to brand new markets, making them an excellent partner to help translate the success of our botanical brews across the Atlantic.”
Not Your Father’s Root Beer has an ABV of 4.5% and will be available from the end of August to the London on-trade in 355ml bottles. For sales enquiries please contact the Customer Care team at Charles Wells on 01234 279 298.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
- Stats provided by Nielson
- Images show point of sale and Not Your Father’s Root Beer lifestyle shots
- If you were unable to attend the launch evening on 18 August we will send out samples w/c 22 August. If you would like samples for tasting and reviews please register with via the contact details below
For further information, contact: Kate Hempsall, Charles Wells
Tel: +44 (0)1234 279209
Mob: +44 (0)7976 941958
Email: kate.hempsall@charleswells.co.uk
About Charles Wells:
- A proud family brewer since 1876, Charles Wells pours 140 years of expertise, the finest ingredients and time honoured techniques into carefully crafting favourite beers from the famous Courage, Bombardier, Young’s and McEwan’s ranges. The same blend of passion and expertise conjures up new and exciting beers for drinkers such as Young’s London Stout and Charlie Wells Dry Hopped Lager.
- The company’s reputation for quality and service are effective in forging collaborative partnerships with major international brands such as Estrella Damm, Erdinger and Kirin Ichiban in the UK.
- Charles Wells also works with partners across the UK to bring communities more than 180 fantastic brewery pubs and several great managed houses under the Apostrophe Pubs and Pizza, Pots & Pints divisions.
About Small Town Brewery
- After home brewing for over two decades, Tim Kovac founded Small Town Brewery in 2010 in the small town of Wauconda, Illinois
- Kovac’s brewing focus developed as he was inspired by his unique family brewing history, which according to family lore dates back to the 17th century. As the story was told to Tim, his ancestor’s brewing practices included gruit-based recipes that use herbs, flowers, roots and berries. In turn, these ingredients have inspired Small Town’s innovative offerings that pay homage to the roots of modern brewing. Small Town uses unique ingredients to create specialty beers with an unmistakable taste of nostalgia.
- For more information about Small Town Brewery, please visit www.smalltownbrewery.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Regards,
Paul Hutchinson
External Communications Executive
Charles Wells
T: 01234 279234
M: 07970 117923
Ext: 2234