New Beer Alert: Summertime Stout Edition

American Craft Beer|June 2nd, 2026|

Summer is ON and American craft brewers are addressing things with a collection of serious stouts that will pair surprisingly well with the season.

The Temptress Returns (Dallas, TX) – Lakewood Brewing has a whole lineup of Temptress Imperial Milk Stout variations that their flagship “Temptress” (the best-selling craft stout in the state of Texas) in always seductive directions. And they’ve just returned one from their most popular variations…a beer that’s been on the bench for a while. Brewed with a reckless abundance of fresh Oregon raspberry puree, Lakewood Raspberry Temptress is a decadent 9.1% ABV Imperial Milk Stout with a subtle fruit acidity and a chocolate covered raspberry profile.

“If you don’t walk through our doors a beer lover, we hope you’ll find your perfect match by the time you leave,” said Wim Bens, founder and president of Lakewood Brewing Company. “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.”

Eye-Opening (Grand Rapids, MI) – No discussion of serious drinking would be complete without the inclusion of this classic year-round from Founders Brewing with a legacy that dates back to 2002.

A bottle of Founders Breakfast Stout beer sits among scattered coffee beans, a glass coffee brewer, and a mug

(Courtesy Founders Brewing)

Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, specialty chocolates, and two types of coffee (Sumatra and Kona), Founders Breakfast Stout is an 8.3% ABV Double Chocolate Oatmeal Stout with an intense fresh-roasted java nose and a frothy, cinnamon-colored head that will make your morning.

Hammer Time (San Diego, CA) – In 2025 AleSmith Brewing is celebrated its 30^th anniversary (yep, it’s been that long) with a new Speedway Barrel-Aged Stout variation that’s just unbelievable and improbably, still available online.

Inspired by the eye-opening Hammerhead coffee drink, (a shot of espresso added to brewed coffee), AleSmith Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout: Hammerhead Edition (2025) is a massive 13.46% ABV Imperial Stout with layers of vanilla, spice, and dried fruit tones, that was brewed with a blend of crushed Ethiopian and espresso beans for an intense coffee flavor.