Olde Hickory Lindley Park
Not being familiar with the surrounding areas of Olde Hickory’s location in North Carolina, I can’t elaborate on the significance of naming a big, barrel-aged imperial stout Lindley Park. What I can tell you about, however, is that when it comes to stouts brewed with raspberries (and honey in this case), Old Hickory have themselves one hell of a beer. This particular bottle (packaged 10/14/17) of Lindley Park is the last of my OBX purchase and I most certainly saved the best for last.
I’ve had a few barrel-aged imperial stouts in my time. Hardywood Bourbon Barrel Raspberry Stout is a local favorite that I have enjoyed on several occasions. Old Hickory’s Lindley Park — with it’s incredible blend of fruity raspberry, bourbon, coffee, wood, anise, chocolate and vanilla — would come out the the better of the two if I sampled them side-by-side. This imperial stout is decadently smooth with big flavors, a refined character and ridiculous smoothness.
I believe this beer owes much of its smoothness and balance to the amount of time its been sitting in the bottle. Having been packaged in October of last year, it was a good ten months old prior to my cracking it open — wisps of gun smoke carrying raspberries into the room. That time allowed everything to come together, to mellow and meld wonderfully. This is a beer that, if it were available in Virginia, would see regular deployment in my fridge and cellar.