Lakewood Brewing Co’s. new limited release ― an imperial oatmeal stout ― is part of a vast brewery collaboration in support of racial equality. Lakewood is among nearly 1,000 breweries making a stout under the shared label, Black is Beautiful (blackisbeautiful.beer), with sales benefitting a local organization that supports equality and inclusion. Lakewood chose the Dallas chapter of the NAACP to receive 100% of its Black is Beautiful proceeds.
The collaboration was launched by Weathered Souls Brewing in San Antonio. The brewery shared its imperial oatmeal stout recipe,and invited other breweries to use it as a template for their own versions of Black is Beautiful. Lakewood tweaked the formula by adding natural hazelnut flavoring ― just enough to enhance the beer’s inviting, roasted malt aromas with a nutty note.
When poured, a creamy, billowy head crowns the black coffee-colored beer. Rich flavors of dark coffee, burnt toffee, and dark chocolate meet a medium, hop bitterness that balances the roasted malt flavors and imparts a dry finish. The beer has a smooth texture and medium body. In keeping with the imperial stout profile, the alcohol content is a hefty 10% a.b.v.
Producing this stout was not a stretch for Lakewood. The brewery is renowned for its Temptress series of imperial milk stouts, a style that’s much sweeter than this American oatmeal stout.
“This beer fits right in with our family-owned brewery’s core values of family, creativity, inclusiveness and community spirit. It wasn’t a question of if we participate, it was more about how fast can we do this,” says Wim Bens, president and founder of Lakewood Brewing.
Lakewood’s limited release of Black is Beautiful kicks off Friday, July 17. The beer will be sold only at the Lakewood Brewing Taproom. Crowlers and growlers will be available for pickup curbside, starting at 11 a.m. on Friday. Only new, unused growlers purchased at Lakewood Brewing will be filled, due to health considerations. The beer is priced at $9 for a 16-ounce crowler, $16 for a 32-ounce growler, and $29 for a 64-ounce growler. There is a per person, daily sales limit of 288 ounces.
Tina Danze is a Dallas freelance writer.
