Garland's Lakewood Brewing Turns 14 With Free Bash and Rare Barley Wine

Lakewood Brewing Co. is throwing open its doors in Garland for a free 14th Anniversary Bash, packing the afternoon with live music, local vendors, food, and a lineup of limited-edition beers spanning the brewery's history. The party centers on Lion's Share XIV, an American Barley Wine brewed specifically for the milestone, alongside vintage releases fans rarely get to taste side by side.

Founder Wim Bens started Lakewood in 2011 and sold the brewery's first commercial keg on August 4, 2012, at Goodfriend Beer Garden in Dallas, according to The Beer Connoisseur. Bens, who moved to Texas from Belgium as a child, trained formally at the American Brewer's Guild before opening the Garland production facility, per the same outlet. The anniversary event, detailed by CultureMap Dallas, is free to attend and takes place at the brewery's home at 2302 Executive Drive.

A Barley Wine Made Just Once

Lion's Share XIV is the latest entry in Lakewood's tradition of brewing a unique anniversary beer that is rarely, if ever, repeated. Past editions have included a Belgian Imperial Stout made with Trappist yeast for Lion's Share XIII in 2025 and a cold-aged Cascadian Barleywine for Lion's Share XI in 2023, making vertical tastings of past vintages a draw for longtime fans, according to The Beer Connoisseur. Per CultureMap Dallas, Bens and Lakewood's team will walk guests through how Lion's Share XIV was made and discuss how it compares to earlier releases in the series.

Guests can also watch beer poking, a traditional technique that uses a heated brewing poker to caramelize sugars directly in the beer, the event listing notes. Visitors are invited to sample or take home the brewery's limited-edition beers from both the present and the past, and those who purchase an anniversary tasting card get a selection of special anniversary beers along with a commemorative Lion's Share tasting glass.

Music, Vendors, and Flash Tattoos

The afternoon's live music lineup includes Robin Lore performing at noon, followed by Penny and the Flame Throwers, per CultureMap Dallas. Dead Wax Records will spin and sell vinyl inside the production brewery, giving the party a record-shop feel amid the beer tanks. Inked by Cherry will offer limited-edition XIV flash tattoos for anyone looking to make the milestone permanent.

On the food side, T-Rex Pickles and Married to Sugar will both offer specialty creations made using Lakewood's beers, tying the vendor lineup back to the brewery's own recipes. Lakewood's flagship Temptress Imperial Milk Stout, which the brewery bills as the best-selling craft stout in Texas, fully shifted from 12-ounce glass bottles to aluminum cans statewide in November 2024, according to Brewbound. Temptress also anchors many of the brewery's seasonal Seduction Series variants and barrel-aged releases, the outlet reports.

A Brewery Built on Local Roots and Collaborations

Lakewood's growth has leaned heavily on Dallas-area ties. In July 2023, the brewery introduced Pony Pils, an SMU-inspired 4.5% ABV golden lager, directing $1 from every case sold toward the brewery's LBC Future Brewer STEM Scholarship, according to Advocate Magazine. Bens graduated from SMU in 2000 and created the lager with Dallas football tailgates in mind, per the same report.

The brewery's collaborative streak dates back further. In October 2014, Lakewood teamed up with Fort Worth's Rahr & Sons Brewing Company on “DFW: A Collaboration of Two Breweries,” marking what CraftBeer.com called the first official joint beer collaboration between two Texas production breweries. Bens began his professional brewing career as an apprentice at Rahr & Sons before launching Lakewood, the outlet notes. More recently, in June 2024, Lakewood partnered with Andy's Frozen Custard to set a world record for the largest beer float, using a 50-pint keg of Temptress and 50 scoops of frozen custard, as reported by WFAA. That stunt surpassed a previous 20-pint record set in Ohio and led Lakewood to add seasonal beer floats permanently to its Garland menu, per the station.

Growth Amid a Tightening Texas Beer Market

The anniversary bash also follows an operational expansion at the taproom. In May 2026, Lakewood began offering daily lunch service starting at 11 a.m. seven days a week, introducing a food menu built around ingredients made with its own beers, according to BevNET. The brewery had originally added an on-site kitchen in late 2022 before expanding to full daily lunch service this year, the outlet reports.

That kind of diversification comes as Texas craft breweries navigate a competitive statewide landscape. Texas craft breweries generated $4.621 billion in annual economic impact in 2025, ranking third nationally, across 420 operating breweries producing 1.422 million barrels of beer, according to the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. Despite that economic scale, Texas ranks 48th nationally in breweries per capita, with just 1.9 breweries per 100,000 adults, per the same industry data.

Direct sales like those expected at the anniversary bash were not always legal in Texas. Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1545 in June 2019, making Texas the last state in the nation to legalize direct beer-to-go sales from craft brewery taprooms, with the law taking effect September 1, 2019, according to the Office of the Texas Governor. Before that law, Texas manufacturing breweries were barred from selling packaged beer directly to retail guests on-site.

Garland's own government played a role in Lakewood's early expansion as well. In December 2013, the Garland City Council approved municipal economic incentives, including a 50% business personal property tax abatement over five years, to support the brewery's early manufacturing growth in the city, according to city records. Within 14 months of opening, Lakewood had already exceeded its five-year business plan targets and was drawing more than 10,000 visitors annually, per the same city documents.

As with any outdoor event, organizers note that the anniversary bash is subject to change due to weather or other concerns, and CultureMap Dallas advises attendees to check with the venue to confirm the event is taking place as scheduled. Lakewood has previously appeared as a featured brewery at regional festivals, including Carrollton's TEXFest celebration.