Day Trips: Lakewood Brewery, Garland
Garland full-flavored craft brewery sets itself apart
By Gerald E. McLeod, Fri., July 27, 2018
Lakewood Brewing Company in Garland mixes science, engineering, and, most of all, creativity to produce great beers that set them apart from other craft brewers.
The six-year-old facility in an industrial area northeast of Dallas has a taproom that showcases the small-batch brews coming out of the shiny tanks. At any given time the neighborhood-style pub at the brewery will have 24 beers on tap, with only six to eight available in retail outlets in North Texas.
Lakewood didn't invent beer tourism, but they sure know how to attract the craft beer lovers searching out new flavors mixed with their hops. Beer aficionados make the brewery a regular stop on research expeditions of Texas brewhouses to sample the latest offerings. "Beer fans go nuts over our Bourbon Barrel Temptress," says Wim Bens, the brewery's founder and president. The brewery makes the imperial stout aged in wood barrels only a couple of times a year. It's a smooth, dark beer with hints of chocolate.
A former advertising executive, Bens began his brewing career in his garage. After winning several homebrewing competitions, he decided to take his home science project to the next level.
The foundation of the brewery are the excellent basic lagers and pilsners, but it was the Temptress Nitro, a rich imperial milk stout with a 9.1% ABV, that put them on the beer-soaked map. From well-done basics, the brewery expands to other styles.
Lakewood Brewing Company is in Garland, a short distance off I-635 and Jupiter Road at 2302 Executive Dr. The taproom and beer garden are open daily with tours available on Saturday afternoons. For a list of flavors on tap go to www.lakewoodbrewing.com.
1,409th in a series. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.
