Lakefront Brewery’s Black Friday™ Delivers Four Rare Barrel-Aged Beers for 2025

Key Points:

• Lakefront’s Black Friday™ beers are back: with this year’s release featuring four bold, barrel-aged brews in exquisite cans.
• For the beer release event on on Black Friday, doors open at 8 a.m., but die-hard fans start lining up the night before for first dibs and free swag.
• Donate a youth coat and score a retro Black Friday™ beer.

Each year, Lakefront Brewery’s Black Friday™ release is an eagerly awaited event. The 2025 edition brings four unique barrel-aged beers, a festive early-morning crowd, as well as a charitable coat drive for local students. It’s a day for people who cherish good brews, collectors, and first-timers alike to gather for bold flavors going hand in hand with shared tradition.

According to a press release from Lakefront Brewery, this year, they will be offering up the following four varieties of their rare Black Friday™ beer to take home:

2025 Black Friday™ Imperial Stout Aged in Great Lakes Distillery’s Still & Oak Black Friday Straight Whiskey Barrels. Sold for $20 each plus tax. 

2025 Black Friday™ Triple Black IPA Dry-Hopped with Cascade, Citra, Centennial, and Chinook Hops. Sold for $15 each plus tax. 

2025 Black Friday™ Wheatwine Ale Aged in Brandy Barrels. Sold for $20 each plus tax.

2025 Black Friday™ Imperial Coffee & Cacao Nib Stout Aged in Great Lakes Distillery’s Still & Oak Black Friday Straight Whiskey Barrels. Sold for $25 each plus tax.

All varieties will be packaged in colorful 19.2 oz. cans and placed in dynamic individual boxes with no limit to the amount an individual can purchase. Every 2025 Black Friday beer will be available to try at the bar while supplies last. Our gift shop inside will be open with exclusive Black Friday items and other warm-weather garb if your preparations aren’t up to snuff.

A collectible Black Friday souvenir wrapped pint glass will be free for those who purchase a minimum of four Black Friday™ cans.

Also, for the third year in a row, Lakefront is excited to announce the return of the Warm Hearts Community Coat Drive benefiting students of George Washington Carver Elementary. Guests who donate a laundered, gently used coat suitable for youth ages 3 to 14 years will receive one bottle/can of a retro Black Friday™. Guests may donate additional coats with a maximum of 2 bottles/cans per donor over 21. Coats will be accepted conditionally at Lakefront Brewery’s discretion to ensure immediate wearability. They also encourage donors to bring colorful, youth-appropriate items, especially coats for girls and young teen women, giving students the dignity of choice. Gloves, hats, and other winter gear will gladly be accepted as well. All week long, guests can also round up their bill to donate to the school.

“We typically start discussing next year’s Black Friday beer pretty shortly after the current year”, says Luther Paul, Lakefront’s Head Brewer, “with these beers needing several months to age properly in barrels, it’s a year-round labor of love creating the finest liquid we can for those making the trek to see us that day.”

Attendees line up as early as the night before to ensure a chance at their desired allotment of Black Friday™ beer. Many have turned it into a tradition, collecting multiple years of Black Friday™ to share with friends and family over the holidays and beyond. Lakefront will be offering their famous Black Friday Burrito and coffee out of their food truck starting at 6am. Lakefront Brewery co-founders Russ and Jim Klisch will open their doors at 8am when sales begin. “It’s one of my favorite moments of the year”, says Brewery President Russ Klisch, “the excitement outside our doors is undeniable, you have to experience it”.

Lakefront Brewery’s Black Friday™ release isn’t just about beer—it’s about the fans who camp out, cheer loud, and make it a tradition worth brewing for. With four bold 2025 varieties and a community coat drive that warms more than hearts, this event blends flavor, generosity, and Milwaukee pride. If you’re a fan of rare beers and unforgettable mornings, mark your calendar and join the line.

About Lakefront Brewery

Lakefront Brewery, Inc. is an independent craft brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin founded by brothers Jim and Russ Klisch in 1987 when they scaled up their homebrew equipment to a 7-barrel brewhouse. They have grown to produce over 20 full-scale offerings yearly including Riverwest Stein Amber Lager, Hazy Rabbit IPA, Dive Beer Milwaukee Lager, and New Grist Gluten-Free Pilsner, the first Certified Gluten-Free beer in America.

Lakefront Brewery is committed to using business as a force for good by achieving the high social and environmental standards verified through B Corp™ certification. Experience Milwaukee’s brewing legacy by taking their award-winning brewery tour and indulge in top notch traditional Bavarian and Midwestern fare at Lakefront Brewery Beer Hall, one of Milwaukee’s premier tourist destinations. Lakefront distributes its best-in-class products to over 30 states, Canada, Ukraine, and Sweden. For more information, visit lakefrontbrewery.com or call 414-372-8800.