Beer buzz: Lakewood and Rahr breweries team up on malty, boozy cherry Baltic porter

The beer: DFW: A Collaboration of Two Breweries

The breweries: Collaboration between Lakewood Brewing Co. in Garland and Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. in Fort Worth

Style: Baltic porter; a strong, malty porter, originally made in England for export to the Baltic states in the 18th century. Boosting the beer's alcohol content helped preserve the beer's integrity during its long sea voyage.

The pitch: This Baltic porter shows layers of complexity, thanks to a secondary fermentation with puréed cherries from the Pacific Northwest, and aging the beer with spiced-rum-soaked oak chunks. Prominent flavors of toffee, chocolate and coffee are laced with vanilla, oak and spice notes; the cherry flavor is oh-so subtle, lending a fruity back-note that melds seamlessly with the malty flavors. Brewing the porter with lager yeast -- a departure from tradition -- makes the body surprisingly light and keeps the focus on the bold, malty flavors. This is a delicious, boozy yet drinkable brew; you might not realize just how high the alcohol content is (9.5 percent ABV), so sip it slowly and savor this one-time release.

Fun fact: This second collaboration between Lakewood Brewing Co. and Rahr & Sons Brewing Co. is hitting stores now in honor of the upcoming North Texas Beer Week. On Sunday, the beer will debut on tap. To mark the occasion, Fritz Rahr, co-founder of Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., and Wim Bens, founder of Lakewood Brewing Co., will appear at the Ginger Man in Lakewood from 2 to 4 p.m., and at the Ginger Man in Fort Worth from 6 to 8 p.m. Only 700 cases of the beer have been made.

Serve it, pair it: Delicious on its own, but it would pair well with: wild game; smoked meats; aged cheddar, aged Gouda or Gloucester cheese; and pecan or cherry pie.

Get some: Sold in 22-ounce bottles for about $11.99 at liquor stores, specialty supermarkets and other markets with a large selection of craft beer.

Tina Danze is a freelance writer. Follow here on Twitter @Tina Danze.