French Quarter Temptress | Lakewood Brewing Company

4.29/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: Pours with a two inch beige head over the fudge brown liquid; good retention and spotty lacing

Smell: Roasted coffee and chicory with a hint of the Bourbon barrel; chocolate and lactose round out the elements

Taste: Chocolate and lactose forward with the roasted coffee and chicory tones building; a hint of the Bourbon barrel used to age the coffee beans emerges with the swallow; the finish is roasty with plenty of coffee flavor

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: For a beer this rich I would have expected a fuller mouthfeel but that is a quibble - overall this is great and I prefer it to the base beer

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4.62/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Great dark beer look with fairly small head. Great aroma. Has that sweet molasses and brown sugar smell. Taste is strong chocolate and coffee. Thick and creamy has a great chewy mouthfeel. Overall a fine craft beer from Lakewood. On draft at Ron’s Corner Tavern.

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4.26/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

This one pours a dark and glossy looking black, with a small foamy head, and not much lacing.

This smells pretty great- with a rich and caramelly coffee character, vanilla, lactose, bitter chicory root, milk chocolate, and light roast.

This is pretty sweet/pastry-like, but it's still a super tasty beer. The coffee flavor is so rich and nice- contributing a melange of coffee/caramel/hazelnut flavors. There's also some vanilla cake flavors, a bit of roasted malt, and a sweet chocolate finish.

This is medium bodied, but very, very creamy, with a soft level of carbonation and a high level of drinkability.

I haven't had the base Temptress to compare to this, but on it's own, it's a very decadent take on a coffee stout.

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3.38/5  rDev -21.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Currently #17 in the Top Texas Beers List. I adored regular Temptress but wasn't so keen on the Mole and Sin Mint variants, so this'll be interesting.

BOTTLE: 01.17.18. Cost is $14.99-15.99 per 4 pack in Austin, TX. Brown glass 12 fl oz format with a branded black pry-off crown cap.

"Imperial milk stout." "Ale brewed with lactose sugar and vanilla with bourbon barrel-aged coffee beans and chicory." Brewed with "a unique blend of freshly-roasted, bourbon barrel-aged Peruvian Cajamarca coffee beans and a touch of chicory." 9.1% ABV. 1.091 OG. 56 IBU. 33 SRM.

Served chilled into a tulip.

HEAD: ~7cm in height. Khaki-tan colour. Robust enough for a 9.1% ABV ale, with adequate thickness and frothiness. Could be darker, richer, and softer, with a more gilded shining complexion. Doesn't evoke a dessert stout. Leaves light lacing as it recedes. Head retention is nice for the ABV - ~5 minutes.

BODY: Predictably, it's an opaque black. No yeast/lees are visible within. Opacity makes it impossible to determine if it's filtered or not.

Appears well-carbonated. Not unique or special for an imperial stout or milk stout, but it's generally enticing.

AROMA: Coffee is evident, hitting on notes of earthy java instead of going in a roasty or harshly bitter direction. Chicory coffee substitute gets lost in the mix. I don't find any genuine vanilla bean, but vanillin is possible. The lactose sugar sweetness in this seems to mute the other notes; I'd be curious to see what this aroma was like if the beer was simply an imperial stout. I find no bourbon barrel character whatsoever, and I have to wonder if bourbon barrel aged coffee beans are a marketing gimmick inherently.

Wants for roastiness (from roasted barley/carafa), more pungently bitter coffee, or possibly another bitterness-contributing ingredient like burnt malt.

As-is, the coffee aroma is the most appealing aspect of it but the coffee lacks unique attributes, roastiness, and depth.

Aromatic intensity is quite restrained for an imperial (milk) stout. This aroma suggests a pleasant and enjoyable imperial milk stout and I have to commend it for not letting its additives eclipse the base beer.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Definitely on the sweet side...a dessert beer to be sure, but not a cloying one; I feel like I'll be able to sip the whole 12oz without it feeling like a chore to drink. Still, it's quite full-bodied, thick, and heavy on the palate from all that unfermented lactose sugar and it really needs more bitterness.

The coffee lacks boldness and depth; all I get is some weak earthy java that doesn't stand out.

Let's run through the beer's additives: Vanilla? Not getting it, but maybe there's a blip of artificial vanillin. Bourbon barrel-aged coffee beans? I mentioned above I get some mild coffee, but there's no bitterness there and no bourbon barrel aged characteristics are imparted by it whatsoever. Chicory? Not finding it, but then it's a coffee substitute inserted in a coffee beer, so why would I? One can imagine with genuine Madagascar vanilla bean, aging the whole beer in bourbon barrels (instead of just using bourbon barrel aged coffee beans so they can slap "bourbon barrel aged" somewhere on the label), and higher quantities of single origin coffee with more pungent bold bitter flavours, this could be a much bigger success.

Roasted barley is sorely absent. More bitterness is needed to counter all that milk sugar and bring this beer more complexity and better balance.

It does have a nice silky softness to its mouthfeel that I dig. Smooth and wet, which makes it approachable. Putting this on nitro would be a bad idea; I'm glad they went with standard carbonation.

I guess what shocks me the most is how shallow it is; there's hardly any depth of flavour at all and each constituent note lacks the expressiveness I want in a great imperial stout.

OVERALL: For all its marketable additives, this beer isn't any better than the original Temptress and it fails to evoke the New Orleans coffee flavour profile Lakewood is obviously after. That said, when you've got a base milk stout as competent as Temptress, it's hard to go wrong even if all you bring to it is a gentle coffee presence. This had potential for greatness, but all it really amounts to is a slightly different variant of Temptress - which is to say it's still a hell of a solid milk stout that rivals Left Hand's canonical expression of the style. I doubt I'll buy it again seeing as Left Hand's milk stout costs a hell of a lot less ($10 per sixer is a fair bit better than $15 per 4 pack), but it's well worth trying for diehard fans of the milk stout style and I'll enjoy the 4 pack I have.

I wouldn't count it amongst the Top 20 beers currently brewed in Texas, but it's easily one of the best milk stouts in the state.

B- (3.38) / WORTHY

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4.25/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Fairly thick dark pour, low tan head ring.
Smells roasty of coffee with pepper-like chillie spice.
Taste follows with the same, but the sweetness and lactose balance out the roasted coffee notes nicely, and the vanilla flavor creeps also through.
Feels medium-bodied and medium carbonated, with a very smooth finish even while prickly dots of heat poke my tongue.
Surprised how much I like this.

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4.23/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I really like the base beer, and I absolutely LOVE the mole iteration, so I was excited to try this. Look is the same as the others, the nose is big coffee and some bourbon, no discernible vanilla.

The taste is very rich, with coffee dominating again (which it is wont to do in my experience). Doesn't have the creamy feel I enjoyed so much in the base beer, but this is still very enjoyable.

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5/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Oh, the smell, it's like candy. And the taste is like an overloaded pot of Jamaican Blue Mountain that someone depth charged with SoCo. Out of this world.

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3.41/5  rDev -21.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Pours like all the other Temptress types, dense with nice head. Pungent vegetal nose of chicory. Light coffee notes. Taste largely follows the overpowering bouquet...vegetal, herbaceous. I'm not a huge fan and it is hard to separate the judge from the personal taste. I'm out.

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4.07/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

22 oz
$15

Dark brown to brown on the edges where it shows clear. Minor head that doesn't remain. Minimal lacing on a swirl.

Nose is strong malt, roasted coffee, minor vanilla, and minor bourbon.

Taste is lactose, sugar, coffee, minor vanilla minor bourbon, and chicory on the finish.

Mouthful is medium is creamy. Carbonation is average to above average. Finish is semi sweet.

A good representation of a Sweet Stout. All around nice. Only drawback is the chicory - it doesn't really do much.

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3.68/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Wildly over carbonated. Perhaps this was a problem with age but it ruined feel and aroma. Complete foam party. Flavor was solid so I'm giving ratings something of the benefit of the doubt.

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4.25/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours an effervescent ebony with 2 fingers of mocha colored head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Big time coffee & a little vanilla once warm

T: Coffee, chocolate & dryness up front. Lactose dryness/sweetness & a little bitterness from the Chicory as this warms along with charred grain & cocoa & a whisper of cinnamon, Finishes with lactic dryness/sweetness, a little mocha as well plus herbal & woody notes

MF: A little chewy, slight carbonation, some boozey warmth

Pretty tasty & drinkable despite the heft & complexity

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4.5/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Lakewood’s Temptress series is great and I’ve always wanted to try this one. I finally did and I was not disappointed.

Look: very dark brown, almost black, with an inch thick bubbly mocca colored head.

Aroma: it has a strong and pleasant aroma of roasted malts, chicory, coffee, vanilla, and a little bit of bourbon.

Taste: The taste is sweet malts, chocolate and vanilla, lots of coffee, and a little bit of booziness and bourbon.

Feel: Full body, creamy, and smooth, and very drinkable. It is truly outstanding.

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4.35/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

hot dang this is good! an expert coffee beer, with a ton of coffee, some interesting bean or roast, its vert different than others, and represents one of the very few coffee beers that has done well with some age on it. i wonder what the process is here. the fact that this is a milk stout and has some lactose sugar is a genius in design. its almost like creamer in coffee, a little sweetness and richness to balance any bitterness or acidity that might be present. super big body, tons of roast, subtle hints of vanilla and black licorice, even black tea, lots of nuance and all wrapped up in the silkiest smoothest beer, what glide it has going down! not a trace of its strength either. i wonder if it has mellowed with age (a little over a year old), or if it was always this pillowy and graceful. lakewood makes some great beers, but this is definitely the best beer i have had from them. the coffee is amazingly fresh and forward, and the chocolate notes underneath really bring it out. enormously delicious any time of day! thanks to my buddy for hooking me up with this all those months ago! the time was finally right to indulge! one of the better coffee beers ive had in 2016.

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3.32/5  rDev -23.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured brown out the bottle. Black in the glass.. half a finger light khaki head with creamy bubbles. No visible carbonation
A lot of roasted malts on the nose. Boiled peppers, espresso, dark roast coffee beans.. overall not veryaromatic
Metallic on the taste..slight coffee and roasted malts.. cant pick up anything from the bourbon barrel aged coffee. .
Very thin feel
Overall a decent beer

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4.22/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours opaque black with a half-inch tan head that disappears completely and leaves faint spots of lace. The smell is of coffee and peppery spice. The taste is of coffee, subtle lactose sweetness, vanilla, faint green pepper and a hint of cocoa. Coffee presence is the most pronounced but all aspects blend together seamlessly. Silky smooth texture with low carbonation.

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3.9/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

It looks... stouty? Jet black beer with minimal head, no lacing. It had a slight head when first poured, but it dissipated almost instantly. It looks like it's barely carbonated, almost flat.
It may not look like anything special, but it smells fantastic. The coffee scent mixes perfectly with the grains and the sweet, dessert notes. It's similar to Founders Breakfast Stout in that there is a ton of coffee but also enough sweetness to offset the bitterness. The difference is that the F.Q. Temptress smells a bit less chocolatey and bit spicier.
The flavor is fairly bitter, with the coffee definitely being the dominant note. There is a touch of sweetness, but unlike regular Temptress, which is very obviously a milk stout, there's not much noticeable lactose or vanilla here. Also, I love chicory coffee, and I don't think the chicory note really comes through either, other than a vague spiciness. According to the label, this beer uses bourbon barrel-aged coffee beans, which, frankly, I think is kind of a stunt. It reminds me of Modern Times' City of the Dead, which used barrel-aged coffee. It lets them put the words "bourbon barrel-aged" on the label, which might suggest to the consumer that they've found a cheap, readily available alternative to BCBCS, but in reality, zero bourbon or barrel character comes through. Now, all that being said, this is still a really tasty coffee stout. It's just that with everything it has going on, I'm a little disappointed that's not more enjoyable than a Founders Breakfast Stout.
The feel is interesting. It has a nice slick feeling to it, but it still seems a bit under-carbonated. There is a bit of fizz on the finish, but no much evidence of carbonation prior to that. It's better when it's colder. As it warms up, it becomes a bit watery.
It probably sounds like I'm damning with faint praise. It's an enjoyable coffee stout for sure. What I'm struggling with is that it has lost the base Temptress milk stout's silky, malty sweetness in exchange for a coffee character which, even though it's still pretty good, does not produce a better sweetened coffee stout than Founders Breakfast Stout, which is more widely available and can be purchased in 4-packs (48 oz. of beer), as opposed to F.Q.Temptress's bombers (22 oz. of beer), for almost the same price.

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3.73/5  rDev -13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Bubbly tan fizziness hides under a black body with burnt brown edges, beneath a large foamy mocha head that lightens to tan towards the top of the glass. The head has a crazy weird retention. After a half hour it hardly dies at all, staying at 2 fingers almost permanently.

Smell is amaretto coffee, vanilla, cola, something metallic, and a little herbal spiciness--assuming this is the chicory as opposed to hops.

Taste is nicely roasted coffee with a lighter roasted malt, milk, a little amaretto and vanilla. Again, something spicy runs along everything else, it must be the chicory. A little black pepper and nuttiness emerges as it warms.

Feel is a bit thin, tangy, and even slightly spicy with that New Orleans appropriated herb. While thin, it is also extremely frothy, too much so at times. Overall this is definitely much better than the regular Temptress, but the feel of this is just a little odd.

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4.09/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from Bomber into shaker, jet black, not head, very small tan ring around glass. Smells of roasted malt and coffee. Taste of coffee, roasted malt, cinnamon with very minor heat. Great beer, this is almost on par with Stone Xcovena. I think I like the muted use of cinnamon here better, but not getting much heat out of it, would like more of that on the finish. Will get this again if I find it

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4.22/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Roasted coffee up front, vanilla on the mid and chicory bitterness and lactose on the finish. Classic smooth and drinkable milk stout mouthfeel. Solid brew and worthy of Fat Tuesday drinking.

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4.27/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a dark chocolate color. Has a sweet aroma of coffee, chocolate and a little booze. Flavor is chocolate and coffee with a touch of booziness. Has a slight sweetness and a smooth balanced finish. Overall a delicious stout.

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4.47/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've had the base Temptress, BBA Temptress, Mole, and Sin Mint but this one might be the best of them all. I've never had coffee at Cafe Du Monde so I can't speak to the authenticity of the flavors comparatively but I can tell you this beer is delicious. I'm reminded of Xocoveza minus the peppers, which is alright by me. Fantastic thick mouth feel, tons of coffee and just the right sweetness. I can't wait to see what the next spin on temptress will be, but this might be tough to beat.

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4.06/5  rDev -6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Shared with JLindros.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a dark brown almost black hue with a thin mocha head that fades to leave light lacing and a thin halo.

S - Aromas of nice lactose, faint vanilla. The coffee is a decent cup of iced coffee. The bourbon is very light too. Only thing potent is the chicory.

T - Taste is similar to the nose, creamy lactose, faint vanilla and bourbon. The coffee is pleasant and creamy with nice bourbon and good strong chicory notes as well.

M - Mouthfeel is nicely creamy, good lactose notes.

O - Overall this beer was nicely creamy with solid bourbon notes and nice chicory. Solid milk stout.

Serving type: bottle

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4.02/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to rudzud

Decent foamy creamy 2 finger mocha head fades at a med pace, thick sticky lacing, almost pitch black beer.

Nose brings lots if lactose, dried milk, into big mocha espresso roasted coffee, mild fudgey cocoa, big smooth earthy coffee, toasted coffee beans, fair chicory, touch nutty, little caramel cocoa. Gets pretty nutty as it warms.

Taste big coffee, little roasty acrid espresso roast, big nutty and earthy coffee, bit fruit coffee bean, then some caramel, fudgey cocoa notes, roasted malts, little smooth lactose like, dried lactose, vanilla, mild barrel notes, a little chicory, with bitter cocoa, little bitter earthy hop. Finish dried lactose creamy espresso latte, little bitter, more mocha, cocoa, touch chicory and vanilla late.

Mouth is med to heavier bod, decent but lighter carb. Just a little warming booze, creamy dried lactose.

Overall not bad, plenty of lactose, nice espresso roasted nutty fruity earthy coffee, very little vanilla and almost no barrel.

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4.58/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

this is my favorite of all the temptress series. It's just an overall great beer. I do think it's a tad overpriced at 12.99 a bomber but I still buy it.

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4.29/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 2015 bomber into a snifter. Pours a deep black with a off white 1/2 inch head. Smell is strong coffee roast with some brown sugar sweetness. Taste has a big vanilla and brown sugar blast, that transitions to a more mellow dark fruit and roasty dry finish. A little bit light in the mouth and a very drying effect on the finish is balanced by a nice coating of flavor. Overall this is a nice improvement on the temptress and a very well done coffee stout.

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