French Quarter Temptress
Lakewood Brewing Company

metter98 from New York

4.03/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A: The beer is essentially jet black in color. It poured with a quarter finger high dark beige head that left a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface and a narrow collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light aromas of coffee beans are present in the nose along with notes of bourbon.
T: The taste has flavors of coffee beans along with notes of chicory and hints of bourbon.
M: It feels medium-bodied and very smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: I didn't really get much of the milk stout element from this beer apart from the smoothness of the mouthfeel. It is quite easy to drink considering its strength.

Serving type: bottle

Nov 08, 2020

BEERchitect from Kentucky

4/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

With a bold and robust side, a coffee accented whisky side, but then again having a smooth and silky tone, Lakewood Brewing has their finger firmly on the pulse of what a variety of a Milk Stout should be.

Pouring a luscious espresso black and cast in an onyx-like sheen, the French Quarter Temptress greets the nose with a bold coffee, cocoa, toasty, roasty and a spiced whisky scent. With its first taste, a malty impression of burnt marshmallow, vanilla and bold baker's chocolate overtones are struck once more.

Then as the dark and plush ale stretches across the middle palate, its sweetness develops into a taste of firm roasted walnut, espresso roast, bitter chocolate, vanilla and whisky- all simmered and stewed into a spicy campfire consistency. Trending bitter from coffee highlights and its woodsy hoppy regime, the late palate is redolent with burnt graham cracker and espresso.

Full bodied, charred and spicy throughout, the beer's finish is long, warm and roasty with an after palate of the remnants of grain char, this beer is nice and bolder variation of their regular Temptress Milk Stout, however not necessarily an improvement.

Nov 06, 2020

CraigDeMoss from Kansas

4.27/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Deep, dark brown-black, fluffy toasted marshmallow head that persists. Little aroma until it warms up a bit, definitely let it sit out for a few, coffee, hazelnut and chocolate. The flavors are all hittin, hazelnut spread with some dark chocolate dipped peanut-butter, coffee comes through nicely, the chicory spice sends it to the big easy. Super smooth and creamy, nice bitterness on the back end, dunk some beignets in it.

Nov 04, 2020

dbrauneis from North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: Pours an opaque thick viscous jet black in color with moderate amounts of fine active visible carbonation rising along the edges of the glass and faint dark cola brown + dark chestnut brown + garnet red colored highlights. The beer has a two finger tall dense foamy dark tan head that slowly reduces to a large sized patch of thin film covering a little more than 80% of the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Light amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Slightly stronger than moderate aromas of roasted + dark + chocolate + caramel malts with a moderate amount of caramel + lactose sweetness. Moderate aromas of milk chocolate + vanilla as well as a slightly lighter than moderate aroma of dark roasted coffee with hints of chicory.

T: Upfront there are slightly stronger than moderate flavors of roasted + dark + caramel + chocolate malts with a moderate amount of lactose + caramel + dark fruit (plum) sweetness. That is followed by moderate flavors of vanilla and milk chocolate as well as a moderate flavor of dark roasted coffee + a light amount of chicory. Finally there is a hint of earthy hops. Moderate amounts of roasty bitterness which is quickly overtaken by the sweet milk chocolate flavors which linger though the finish.

M: Medium to full bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth, almost slick.

O: Drinks pretty easily considering the strength and has a nice smooth + slick mouthfeel. Very enjoyable with great dark roasted coffee and chicory + milk chocolate flavors & aromas - definitely a dessert beer but not cloyingly sweet. Definitely enjoy the addition of the French roast/dark roast coffee with chicory. I like this one a little bit more than the base beer.

Oct 25, 2020

zeff80 from Missouri

4.3/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle. Poured out an opaque, jet-black color with a small, light brown head of foam. It left minimal lacing. It smelled of coffee, chocolate, toffee and molasses. Nice bitter roasted coffee with chocolate, roasted caramel malt and toffee. Full-bodied and strong.

Oct 01, 2020

Darkmagus82 from Texas

4.26/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a snifter glass

Appearance – The beer pours a pitch black color with a small head of dark tan foam. The head fades relatively fast leaving a tiny bit of foamy lace on the sides of the glass and a very persistent film of foam on the surface of the brew.

Smell – The aroma is massive of a wonderful and rich roasted malt smell mixed with tons of sweet caramel and brown sugar as well as some chocolate and molasses. Along with these smells comes some rather hearty notes of a latte like smell as well as a strong showing of a boozy bourbon smell mixed with a little bit of char and an almost spiced rum like aroma. Overall the aroma is dark, warming and super inviting.

Taste – The taste begins with a sweeter roasted and latte like flavor with a big showing of coffee, milk, caramel, and crème. Upfront there is also some chocolate and molasses with the later getting more potent as the taste advances. All at the same time some of the booziness that was sensed in the nose hits the tongue with a bit of a bourbon flavor arriving on the scene. At the end the latte like sweetness is enhanced accompanied by some more caramel and a bit of toffee. With a little loss of some of the roastiness and some char that was present upfront, one is left with a sweet and delicious cappuccino like boozed taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is super thick and rich with a carbonation level that is rather low. For the very robust, dark, and sweet flavors of the brew the feel is very well done and makes for a nice slow sipping dessert like stout.

Overall – A sweet and robust stout overall. I liked this variation a bit more then the original. The addition of the bourbon flavor enhances the other tastes quite well. A tasty brew and one to try if you have the opportunity.

Feb 18, 2020

brentk56 from North Carolina

4.29/5  rDev -0.5%
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

Apr 08, 2019

Thankin_Hank from Texas

4.62/5  rDev +7.2%
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.

Mar 09, 2019

GreesyFizeek from New York

4.26/5  rDev -1.2%
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.

Mar 21, 2018

Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.38/5  rDev -21.6%
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

Feb 25, 2018

TBoneJones from Texas

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
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.

Feb 09, 2018

ovaltine from Indiana

4.23/5  rDev -1.9%
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.

Jul 22, 2017

Mindsculptor from Texas

5/5  rDev +16%
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.

Jul 07, 2017

rmpic82 from Kansas

3.41/5  rDev -20.9%
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.

Mar 30, 2017

Slack from Virginia

4.07/5  rDev -5.6%
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.

Jan 15, 2017

Kurmaraja from California

3.68/5  rDev -14.6%
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.

Jan 14, 2017

russpowell from Arkansas

4.25/5  rDev -1.4%
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

Dec 29, 2016

Thomas_Wikman from Texas

4.5/5  rDev +4.4%
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.

Dec 03, 2016

StonedTrippin from Colorado

4.35/5  rDev +0.9%
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.

Nov 11, 2016

Rcaros from Texas

3.32/5  rDev -23%
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

Oct 16, 2016

Furlinator from California

4.22/5  rDev -2.1%
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.

Sep 28, 2016

ccg from Virginia

3.9/5  rDev -9.5%
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.

Sep 17, 2016

Sabtos from Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -13.5%
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.

Sep 14, 2016

donspublic from Texas

4.09/5  rDev -5.1%
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

Jun 06, 2016

Davepoolesque from Massachusetts

4.22/5  rDev -2.1%
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.

Feb 10, 2016