Texas brew review: Lakewood Brewing awakens its force with sequels

Sequels aren’t always bad, however. The Godfather: Part II, Terminator 2, The Empire Strikes Back. Heck, sometimes the sequel is even better than the original (Evil Dead II, anyone?).

In the craft beer world, it’s hard to be original. Some breweries seek to take their own subtle spins on classic styles, while others use atypical ingredients and methods in an effort to find a niche.

Some do both. Lakewood Brewing in Garland famously launched its own spin on the imperial milk stout with The Temptress from the brewery’s inception. With its smooth edges and chocolate lusciousness, the beer has gained quite the following in North Texas.

Then, Lakewood saw an opportunity to grow the legend of its most iconic beer by putting some twists on it. Thus, a litany of sequels were born.

However, unlike Friday the 13th Part VIII, Weekend at Bernie’s II or The Phantom Menace, Lakewood knew how to build something even greater than the original.

In 2015, Lakewood started consistently bottling five variants on The Temptress, and each is released seasonally.

The most recent is easily the most sought-after: Bourbon Barrel Temptress. Referred to by Lakewood as the “cougar” of the bunch (wakka wakka), this beer is something special and should be snapped up immediately on sight. In fact, if you spot any on shelves after last week’s release date, consider yourself lucky.

Raspberry Temptress is released around Valentine’s Day and comes with a “To/From” tag for your sweetie around the neck of the bottle. It’s truly dessert in a glass.

Mole Temptress comes out to pair with Cinco de Mayo and utilizes chiles, cinnamon and cacao to celebrate south-of-the-border flavors.

French Quarter Temptress releases in August and utilizes chicory and bourbon-barrel-aged coffee beans to harken to New Orleans.

Sin Mint is released in November as a not-so-subtle homage to Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies.

However, possibly the most interesting twist on The Temptress isn’t even technically made by Lakewood. Just a few miles down the road from the brewery, the Herman Marshall Whiskey distillery made for a perfect partner in trying something almost completely unheard-of in the craft beer industry.

By taking finished Temptress beer and distilling it, Temptress Single Malt Whiskey gets the pillowy, chocolate tones of Temptress with some decent back-end burn. It is aged in new white oak barrels, so its youth isn’t interrupted by smokiness or particularly woody attributes. It definitely tastes like The Temptress if she gave you a few friendly lashings. Temptress Whiskey is available in the area for around $60 per bottle.

Lakewood is constantly innovating and growing by leaps and bounds, so it wouldn’t be any surprise to see more variations of Temptress or its other beers. And if the brewery’s track record is any indication, those new takes will be more Temple of Doom than The Godfather: Part III.

Bearded Eel to close its doors

Owners B.J. and Becky Burnett have announced that, a little more than a year and two months after opening its taproom doors, Bearded Eel Craft Brewery in north Fort Worth is closing for good on New Year’s Eve.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Texas brew review: Lakewood Brewing awakens its force with sequels."