Lakewood releases new and renewed seasonals for summer

Image credit: Lakewood Brewing Co.

Lakewood Brewing Co. of Garland has released two beers, one being new, while the other is a returning favorite.

The new beer is Fruition Pineapple Ginger Blonde (4.2% ABV), which is described as "light and ridiculously refreshing with just the right pop of juicy pineapple up front and a little ginger spice on the finish to keep things interesting. Golden, bright, and built for easy drinking, it’s smooth, and seriously crushable."

As for the legacy beer Lakewood is bringing back into the summer seasonal fold, Raspberry Temptress (9.1% ABV) launched the brewery's limited Seduction Series in 2014. Infused with fresh raspberries, this Temptress variant is "raspberry forward with a hint of coffee."

“If you don’t walk through our doors a beer lover, we hope you’ll find your perfect match by the time you leave,” says Wim Bens, founder and president of Lakewood. “We keep two dozen options rotating on tap that range from IPAs and lagers to popular seasonal releases and new varieties like Fruition Pineapple Ginger Blonde and Raspberry Temptress, one of the many riffs on our flagship Temptress.”

Fruition Pineapple Ginger Blonde and Raspberry Temptress are now available on tap at the Lakewood Taproom, as well as on craft beer shelves throughout Texas. To find a location near you, click the link to access the Lakewood Beer Finder.

East Dallas Brewing Co. no longer in development

Image credit: East Dallas Brewing Co.

The principals behind the highly-anticipated East Dallas Brewing Co. have decided to cease development on the venture which had targeted the city's popular Lower Greenville neighborhood.

First announced in early 2024 by a founding group consisting of John Mitchell, Michael Stone and Andrew Huerter, the company had begun to introduce itself by way of collaborations with Lakewood Brewing Co. and Intrinsic Smokehouse & Brewery, both of Garland. From there, East Dallas last poured preview beers at the 2025 Big Texas Beer Fest.

As for the future, Huerter currently has eyes on a new beer project, the details of which will be revealed once due diligence has been completed. Prior to more recent stints with Oak Highlands Brewery of Dallas and Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. of Fort Worth, Huerter was the head brewer at BrainDead Brewing of Dallas, which closed in November 2021.

Oak & Stone opens first Texas franchise in McKinney

Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

A new craft kitchen with "loaded taps" is encouraging patrons to make pour decisions, now that it's open in a recently-built retail center at 8575 W. University Dr. (U.S. 380) in McKinney.

First founded in 2015, Oak & Stone is a Florida-based concept under the Artistry Restaurants banner featuring a self-pour tapwall experience. As of now, the company has eight locations in Florida, with McKinney being the first one established in Texas. It won't be the last, though, since another locale is set to open later this year in Addison.

A sign declaring that "Beer Tastes Better in McKinney" is the first thing you'll notice when entering the new North Texas spot, which consists of around 6,000 square feet. Seating options are split between the indoor public space, and a covered patio section outdoors.

On the consumables, the food menu at Oak & Stone has an elevated pub grub feel (apps, wings, pizzas, burgers/handhelds, salads), but the centerpiece of the place is certainly the self-pour tapwall. And it's not all about barley and hops, as upwards of 50 rotating handles pour beer, wine, cocktails and spirits (tequila, whiskey), as well as non-alcoholic options including root beer, soda, lemonade and more.

Roughly half of the taps are devoted to craft beer, with products primarily sourced from local breweries. Current selections hail from 3 Nations, Armor, Community, Lakewood, Manhattan Project, Martin House, Peticolas, Rollertown, Texas Ale Project, Three Wide and Tupps.

The closest thing to a macro on tap was a beer from Golden Road, with others beers like Lone Star and Shiner available in cans behind the bar.

As for pricing, most draft pours run $0.50 - $0.60 per ounce, with dark beers (porter, stout) and a fruited sour being higher-priced outliers. Beers may be poured into a provided pint glass, snifter, or a collection of sample glasses, with flight boards available to transport the latter.

Oak & Stone - McKinney serves patrons daily, with hours beginning at 11 a.m. from Monday-Friday, and at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Beer, BBQ & burros: A look at Village Creek Brewing Co. in Rendon

Photos © Brian Brown/Beer in Big D.

If you're looking for a place to go where you can get away from it all, a new venue in Rendon may be just the sort of spot you seek. What's more, with the primary offerings being craft beer and barbecue, one wonders what more does a Texan need?

Founded by Art & Sunny Anderson, you could certainly call Village Creek Brewing Co. a labor of love, considering the couple has been working to make the business a reality since 2019. That year, they poured beer at Luckapalooza V, hosted by LUCK at Trinity Groves, while they were scouting locations for their future endeavor.

By the end of 2019, the Andersons had purchased a 4.7-acre site in Rendon, with the brewery and an expansive biergarten set to front the property while occupying around an acre of that land at 6690 Levy County Rd.

So, why did it take six years to get here? Well, to start, there was this pandemic thing that caused a few disruptions. Beyond that, by all accounts Village Creek was built by the family from the ground up, almost completely by hand. The result being the very definition of a destination brewery, given the remote, rural locale and wooded surroundings.

As for what the experience is like at Village Creek, it begins with the aforementioned beer and barbecue.

Liquids pour from upwards of 20 taps, with the menu featuring mostly classic styles or slight variants of such. Examples include This Spuds for You (potato cream ale), Hopfire Amber (hoppy amber ale), Big L Vanilla Porter and a favorite of those sampled, Blackwater Scotch Ale. You could even turn back the clock with a pint of Threat Level Midnight, a peanut butter and chocolate milk stout dating back to the Luckapalooza days.

Among other beverages available, Village Creek's house hard seltzer can be enhanced with one of four flavoring options, while those preferring wine can choose from varieties bottled by Burning Daylight Estate Vineyard & Winery of Mansfield.

Then for non-alcoholic drinks, canned soda and bottled tea are sold at the Smokehouse Republic food trailer, an on-site barbecue purveyor. There, hungry patrons can order from a food menu consisting of brisket options (sandwiches, nachos), smashburgers and more.

And entertainment? If communing with nature while holding a beer in hand isn't quite enough, you can find widescreen televisions and board games in the taproom, with cornhole and giant connect four set-ups outside. There are also donkeys in an attached pen, who appear to quite enjoy poking their heads through the fence line for a friendly pat.

That brings us to the topic of when to visit, as Village Creek has been opening at noon on weekends - beer and food stock permitting. Given the latter, it's best to check the brewery's social media channels for updates before heading down south.