Skull Splitter
Orkney Brewery

Skull SplitterSkull Splitter
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From:
Orkney Brewery
 
Scotland, United Kingdom
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Ranked #19
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
91
Ranked #6,950
Avg:
4.08 | pDev: 12.01%
Reviews:
1,066
Ratings:
2,359
Status:
Active
Rated:
Friday at 11:34 PM
Added:
Oct 08, 1998
Wants:
  219
Gots:
  365
Skull Splitter is one of our strongest beers, named after Thorfinn Einarsson the 7th Viking Earl of Orkney.

It is a sophisticated, satiny smooth and full flavoured beer. It has a rich fruity wine-like complexity with flavours of fresh and dried fruits, warm exotic spice and mellow summer fruity notes.

HOPS East Kent Goldings
MALT Pale, Crystal, Chocolate, Malted Wheat
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Manoftyr:
Photo of Manoftyr
Reviewed by Manoftyr from New York

4.7/5  rDev +15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured into tulip

Appearance-Pours a deep, murky red-brown with significant ruby highlights all throughout. A tanned off-white head rises from the pour but bubbles back down leaving a thin film and abundant lacing, a few swirls get the head kicking back up briefly. Beautiful color.

Aroma-Dark and creamy malts upfront, very sweet and roasty with scents reminiscent of dark butterscotch, I can also detect a bit of woodsiness and the stingy tinge of alcohol.

Taste-Sweet and malty upfront but it then gives way to a phenolic, peaty-smoke character (I love me some peat) that meshes with the sweet malt on the finish. Deceptively complex.

Mouthfeel-Medium-syrupy body with moderate to moderate-low carbonation.

Drinkability-It starts off sweet but the complexities afforded mid-palette prevent it from becoming cloying and keep me coming back for more; this is a top notch brew and my favorite Wee-Heavy/Scotch Ale that I've had.
Sep 24, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of cwm51662
Reviewed by cwm51662 from Indiana

4.36/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Pretty red amber look. Big head, slow dissolving. Strong caramel smell at the top. Caramel and fig taste, way thicker feel than I was expecting. Great beer!
Friday at 11:34 PM
Photo of Lexluthor33
Reviewed by Lexluthor33 from New York

3.77/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Deep brown color with nice head and lace.
Aroma of malts and grapes.
Taste of malts, mildly sweet grapes and caramel.
Feel medium to heavy bodied.
I think it might be a tad too sweet and sometimes it hits fine.
Feb 27, 2024
 
Rated: 4 by AbeO

Jan 29, 2024
Photo of VABA
Reviewed by VABA from Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a nice clear ruby amber color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has generous caramel and fruity hints
Taste has a nicely balanced caramel and fruity flavor
A medium bodied well carbonated beer
A great Wee Heavy Ale
Dec 19, 2023
Photo of Cathartes
Reviewed by Cathartes from Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Scotch ale for the national day of Scotland.

11.2 oz bottle acclimated to 48°F and poured into a tulip glass.

Pours a murky, medium, oxidized penny brown, with orange brown highlights, and ruby brown in the opposite side of the glass. Produces a 0.5 finger foamy, cream head, dissipating fairly quickly and leaving a fragmented ring of lacing with a few splotches.

This smells so strongly of beer! Initial aroma is very heavy on yeast, and it has a red fruity red wine kick to it, and some alcohol. Further investigation yields malty sweetness and an olive oil note.

After agitating, I notice a note of heart bread, with the same wall of yeast behind it.

Initial taste before swallowing is slightly tart, very much red fruity but like a terroir and not the actual fruit, note of bittersweet caramel, and sweet toffee and bread.

After swallowing a hefty dose of malt with some red fruit and some alcohol, followed by more red fruit, mostly raspberry I think, alcohol lingers a while. This is followed by a bitterness, growing rather quickly in intensity, and lasting into the finish where it mellows and is joined by a somewhat sharp, metallic dryness, which becomes heavily dominant when it's allowed to sit for a length of time. Drinking further, the alcohol is definitely noticeable, only very slightly unpleasant though not sharp, and not exactly bitter.

Feel is very nice, it has a definite thickness, and it's fairly smooth. The carbonation is nice, it adds a smoothness because of its fine bubbles after agitating.

Overall this is a good one! I've had it before but before I was reviewing. I would describe it as having (mostly) mellow flavors at a high intensity, which is something I enjoy. I want to highlight that all the flavors present worked very harmoniously together.

I'll buy it again at some point but it's not one I'm going to prioritize over trying something new.
Dec 01, 2023
Photo of brureview
Reviewed by brureview from Massachusetts

4.02/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Unlike most wee heavies I’ve tasted- most are America on brewed.
Great pour- light amber color with a 4F head in a Gordon scotch ale glass.
Aroma is aromatic-malty, deep, earthy.
Very malty MF.
The taste improves with warming. The same earthiness, with some fruit.
This is more of a classic scotch ale approach. I am used to the fruitier, hoppier, sharp edged finish scotch ales. I like that style better.
Worth checking out for a different approach.
Oct 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.18 by sentrytec from Pennsylvania

Sep 28, 2023
 
Rated: 3.97 by Rainintheface from Florida

Sep 09, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by cryptichead from Illinois

Aug 26, 2023
Photo of DarkLordScott
Reviewed by DarkLordScott from Wisconsin

3.79/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I have a history with this beer.

Pours a dark, reddish amber color, with very good carbonation and a less than one finger head. Aroma is like a combination of peaty earth and floral. Taste is not as carbonated as thought, with a buttery, caramel profile. Body is moderate, with a very slight sweetness.
Aug 04, 2023
Photo of MikeWard
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
330ml bottle into a pint glass. Best before September 2024.

Hazy reddish amber body with a small off white head. Scattered lacing. Rich malty aroma with a hint of apple core. Strong sweet sticky taste with that apple core note. Finish is full and sweet. Strong tasty brew.
Jul 24, 2023
 
Rated: 3.88 by QuintusHorace from California

Jun 27, 2023
Photo of puboflyons
Reviewed by puboflyons from New Hampshire

3.83/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
From a 330 ml bottle with a BB date of Jul 2024. Sampled March 25, 2023.

The appearance is a reddish amber color under a lacing-leaving tan head. Good clarity.

In the aroma, I really pick up a whole lot of red grapes and dried fruit. It is almost wine-like except for the grainy malt character underneath. Fruity hops I suppose.

Smooth light-medium mouthfeel.

The taste is somewhat sweet but there is a definite fruity bitterness that kicks in. When I drink Scotch Ales, I hope for peat characters but I am not getting that here. Still it is a decent enough beer.
Mar 25, 2023
 
Rated: 3.98 by npolachek from New York

Feb 26, 2023
 
Rated: 4.73 by Norman11361 from Scotland

Feb 21, 2023
 
Rated: 4.25 by arini10 from Oregon

Sep 01, 2022
 
Rated: 3 by prisdefer from New York

Aug 15, 2022
 
Rated: 4.15 by cbcrunch from Wyoming

Aug 01, 2022
Photo of Iamaskier
Reviewed by Iamaskier from Idaho

4.1/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: Brownish ruby body, not really a head.
S: Sweet and wine like. Dark fruit, cherry, and a hint of bread and spice.
T: Rich, toasty, sweet. Upfront dark fruit, cherry, leather, and oak. Hops in the body bring a nice bitterness, along with hints of smoke and scotch whisky, followed by a slightly sweeter dose of cherry and a hint of cracker.
F: Smooth, full bodied, wet finish, alcoholic warmth after a few sips.
O: I was caught off guard by how much of a punch this packs. A great slow sipper, definitely able to hold its own against beers with double digit abv.
Jun 11, 2022
Skull Splitter from Orkney Brewery
Beer rating: 91 out of 100 with 2359 ratings