Termination Ale
Highland Brewing

 

Another thing that Highland seems to have done as part of it’s reinvention if itself the last year or two, is legitimize it’s barrel aging program. They did some barrel aged beers in the past, but they were usually abominations like throwing St. Teresa’s into whisky barrels or the like. Now they already are brewing some beers that are more appropriate for barrel aging (Imperium, Black Watch, etc), and seem to be creating more beers for the process too. Termination is one of those. A bourbon barrel aged barley wine! They describe it as an American barley wine, though I’m getting more characteristics of an English, but no need to get too technical, either way it’s really nice. Lots of caramel malts, appropriately sweet for the style, vanilla and bourbon character in the finish. Drinkable for the style and abv. I would definitely drink this again. But between the new year round, seasonal, and limited beers, the small batch stuff, and the 4 barrel aged choices they always have on, there always seems to be something new to explore whenever I stop in the Highland tasting room, and that’s a good thing.