Splinters
Black Raven Brewing Co.

strong, sweet and delicious. Pours a dark chocolate with no head to speak of. Nice taste of bourbon and the high ABV. Nice sipping beer. Not overly heavy or light, nice balance. Rated 6-30-2022
34 IBUs

16 ounce can into a tulip snifter. Canned 1/31/24, had 2/26/25.

Pours a fairly clear orange amber color, with a quarter inch foamy head and some foamy lacing. Aromas of bourbon, caramel, malt, some oak, light raisin and fig. Flavors of bourbon, caramel, malt, oak, some raisin. Smooth, a very good medium body, well carbonated.

Barrel, caramel and malt defines this. It’s very nice, certainly enjoyable and am glad to have had the chance to try it, was expecting it to be better. That said, it’s always a pleasure to have a BA Scotch Ale.

16oz can courtesy of my wife's boss
Poured into a Tired Hands willi becher

P deep caramel w/ a small foamy khaki cap
N med to med-bold sweet rich toffee, light booze, bread pudding; inviting; a light peppery note as warms
T less sweet than nose lets on; toffee and caramel with light-med sweetness comes together with booze and an earthy note beneath; moderately warming alcohol finish; pretty tasty; toffee comes back in the aftertaste; has an underlaying vinous character as it opens
Mf full-bodied w/ med to med-high velvety smooth carb
O a nicely balanced and really solid BA scotch ale; drinks well

Review date: 06.12.25
Can date: not captured

Deep, mahogany color with a nice off-white head. Toasted malt, dried fruits, and oak in the aroma. Malty, rich and warming. Not the most common style and this makes it even more interesting.

Pours a dark burgundy-brown with a heavy fog to the translucency. Head is two fingers of khaki foam with decent retention. Aroma is toffee, raisins, fig, molasses, and a little sear of heat right at the end, brought on by char and barrel. Flavor profile is back to raisins, fig, and toffee, with mild molasses just behind. Flavor profile has a little leather to the profile as well. Barrel is a little more reserved and blended, along with char, compared to the aroma. Toasty and bready malts become more apparent as the beer warms. Mouth feel is light effervescence with light silt to the texture and medium thickness. Overall, heavy barrel paired up well with a Scotch ale. Nice malt characteristics.

Served in a 15.5oz Spiegelau tulip from a 16oz can. Reviewed from notes.

 

Bomber from Tavour. Mahogany pour with a thick beige head. Peated malts battles it out with bourbon barrel in the aroma, sweet, earthy, malty. Taste is brown sugar, woody, peat, sweet, gentle boozy notes. Bourbon and peated malts balance really well.

Dinner. Movie. 22 oz. bomber. Such is life. Split with my wife.

Slightly muddy amber with a nose of rusty malts & bourbon. All seems in order here.

Splinters is a classic of the genre. Caramel, check, bourbon, check, slight alcoholic burn slithering down my chest cavity, check, touch of wood & a few kernels of brown sugar. A touch thin, but that keeps the drinkability level higher.

Good solid brew.

 

Poured a dark amber with a light, thin head and very little lacing.

Taste of rich sweet malt up front and caramel, there's a bit spiciness in there mixed with light alcohol. Rich mouthfeel and very enjoyable.

Poured at fridge temp. Pours a semi-transparent dark brown with tan head. Good carbonation that sticks around.

Nose is tough to penetrate. It's hard to explain, but nothing screams out when I take a sniff. Subtle toffee notes are there, along with a malty bread note. A bit of wheat and a touch of dark fruit. Otherwise, not much is going on.

Taste is definitely more pronounced than the nose. Bourbon-soaked toffee, chocolate, a touch of tobacco, plums, and sweet candy. A minor maple influence is there as well. A woody note (slightly bitter) starts to emerge over time, along with a slight nutty flavor.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, with a relatively sweet aftertaste. Overall, this is a fine beer, but I was expecting a lot more. Very drinkable.

I'm not getting smoke or much peat. This is caramel forward with some spiced toffee. The barrel notes bring sweet, smooth whiskey, minimal vanilla, and lingering ashy oak. The body is light with gentle carbonation. Tasted blind, I might have called this an English barleywine.

bottle into glass
Very thin head that quickly dissipates. Deep, clear auburn color. Subtle, toffee & caramel topping off the malted aroma. Rich, creamy, spiced, malted caramel and toffee flavors welcome your tastebuds with a bit of sweetness, and yes a touch of toasted woodiness from those barrels. Medium mouthfeel with a smooth spiced finish.

 

This one pours a dark-ish brown/amber color, with a small head, and a bit of lacing.

This smells like chocolate, toffee, smoke, dark fruit, and oak.

This is extremely smooth, with no real booze character. It's almost *too* smooth, as I'd want a bit more strong barrel presence here, as the blending seems to smooth all of the edges. To some people, that might not be a bad thing - it's super drinkable, with some nice oak notes, caramel and tobacco whiskey tones, and a high quality base underneath.

This is medium bodied, creamy, smooth, and rich, with no booziness and as mentioned above, a surprising level of drinkability for the style.

Even though my personal preference is for a deeper barrel character, I can't deny the care and talent that went into this.

Clear dark amber brown with a thin beige cap. Huge wood and toffee in the nose, some vanilla and light bourbon mash in the background. Taste has the booze come in nicely, very warm and constant, accenting the flavors from the nose plus a touch of smoky earth. Feel is thinner than expected but barrel character gives it enough definition to carry the day with warm and wood. Very nice ba scotch ale.

 

 

Deep, dark amber body, clear; excellent, gently rising carbonation; fairly thick and creamy bone-white head; spidery fingers of lacing cling to the glass. Overall mild caramel note in the smell; a touch of earthy spiciness. Rich and sweet taste; caramel and nougat; brown sugar; whiskey undertones; a tinge of roasted nuts; suggestion of star anise. Heavy body; thick and sticky; a bit warm with gentle boozy heat.

Barrel aging combined with a rich and complex Scotch ale done right!

great tasting scotch ale - not much head but great taste