Splinter Blue
Tröegs Brewing Company

portia99 from Massachusetts

4.27/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

750ml bottle generously shared at jlindros 30th birthday tasting by Duffy and Kyle. Big thanks for getting the opportunity to try this major want of mine. Poured into a Sierra Nevada 30th anniversary glass.

A - Pours a well hazed, pale grapefruity juice looking liquid in the glass. A fizzy, thin head of white bubbles forms briefly and falls to the surface leaving only a thin collar of bubbles and not much for lacing.

S - Super funky and barnyard! Tons of brett influence here. Powdered sugar, cherries galore, super tart and sour! I am liking this a lot.

T - Lots of cherry up front to make the first impression. Sweet, a bit sugary overall although quite tart and sour. Funk isn't as strong as in the aroma but definitely here to make an impact at a medium level intensity. Very nice.

M - Thin/medium body with a very high carbonation that gives a foamy feel in the mouth...nice and funky and tart.

O - Definitely didn't let me down. Been wanting to try this for a long time after being unsuccessful in landing a bottle myself. Glad to try this one!

Sep 20, 2013

BucketBoy from Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Review from notes. Tasted this at Ryan's Labor Day tasting 2011.

L - Wow, great color - translucent red/blue, nice spritely top bubbles.

S - Nice tart, touch of cherry skin, the wheat actually goes a long way in the nose too.

T - Solid! Again, wheat and nice tart cherry, perhaps nearly imperceptible blueberry - tastes very summery.

F - Pleasant and smooth flowing. Once more the wheat from the Dreamweaver has contributed its part to make this smoooth.

O - Refreshing, though not overly complex or fruit-forward.

Jul 07, 2013

Thesoundandthefury from Washington

4.8/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Damn near as perfect a beer as I could imagine. The brett, cherries, wheat, and oak are all in harmony.

This poured a beautiful rose color, and smelled or sour cherries, oak, and brett.

The taste was all flavor to savor, with each sip allowing the combination of flavors to shine. The nose matched the flavor, and the carbonation was just perfect. Despite some reports of gushers, I found this carbonation to be spot on fine.

Mouthfeel was smooth and silky with tiny prickly bubbles, just how I like it.

Overall, I'd drink this stuff everyday if I could. Troegs, make this a regular. seriously.

Jun 22, 2013

rudzud from Massachusetts

4.33/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Enjoyed at JLindros' Birthday whale tasting last month. Thanks to Duffy and Kyle for sharing. Reviewed from notes.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a hazy light pinkish cherry hue with a very, very nice two finger head that leaves a light blanket and good, solid lacing.

S - Alright! Cherries really pop on the nose; tart and sour. Some nice vanilla notes and brett/lambic aromas round things off.

T - Taste is lots of big, tart, sour cherries. Light funk, faint vanilla notes as well as barrel notes. Just slightly, slightly flemmy with some light wheat/grassy notes too.

M - Mouthfeel is quite nice. High carbonation here but almost to the point of being distracting.

O - Overall a very nice sour cherry wild here. Quite well balanced and tasty.

Apr 03, 2013

jlindros from Massachusetts

4.37/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Shared at my Birthday whale tasting. Thanks to Duffy and Kyle for sharing.

Pours a big fizzy bubbly head, wild looking style head but a bit of lacing, bigger than expected too, hazy reddish orange color.

Nose Sour fruit, wild funk, some Brett horsehair funk, tart cherry and lambic notes.

Taste has big tart cherries, tart fruit, little wild Brett funk, some sourness, light wheat base and lambic flavors, grassy even, fairly tart finish, long finish with sour cherries, tart, little flemmy.

Mouth is lighter bodied, nice carb.

Overall quite nice, nice sourness, good tart cherries, nice overall flavors, quite well done.

Mar 04, 2013

ehammond1

4.27/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle (2010)

Thanks for opening this with me, VaTechHopHead!

(Aged for 2+ years)

Violet and dark rose in color with an eggshell-white head. Leaves spots of stick down the glass.

Vibrant cherry with big notes of dirt/earth Brett character. Funky and fruity, I like it.

The flavor is complex--much more so than the aroma would indicate. A lovely combination of an interesting earthy/dirty/Fall leaves funk, and lots of vibrant, juicy cherry flesh and skin character. Moderate sourness, but not over the top.

Medium to near full in body for the style with low/moderate carbonation. Perhaps a bit heavy.

Exceptional. One of the favorites among a star-studded tasting.

Jan 27, 2013

DavoleBomb from Pennsylvania

4.24/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a tulip.

3.0 A: Moderately hazed medium orange color. Fizzy white head that falls almost as fast as it forms.

4.0 S: Oddly enough, it still resembles Dreamweaver fairly well. Clove, banana, and pepper bring back good memories of Pittsburgh where I drank a ton of Dreamweaver. Cherries add a layer of complexity, but they don't come through with a lot of strength (at this age anyway). Tart fruitiness and some tanginess, but not a lot of pure sourness. Lemon and apple notes. Funk is an outdoorzy funk featuring apple orchard, wood, and forest after a rain.

4.5 T: The taste is where all the components come together. Clove, pepper, and banana from the base. Tart cherry from, well, the cherries. Potent oak with vanillins and a touch of supple tannins. Brett funk gives apple orchard, clean sewer, forest, and wet wood. Notes of lemon, apple, and pear. Quite mellow and refined while also being sophisticated and complex. Very tasty beer.

4.0 M: Light to lighter medium body. Good moderate carbonation. Lightly prickly and bubbly and superbly smooth.

4.5 D: This beer is criminally drinkable, where the crime is that Troegs only made 400 bottles of this. Not a super sour beer and I've certainly had others with way more funk, but this brings all the flavors together in a way that brings the best out of everything.

Nov 18, 2012

sweemzander from Illinois

4.52/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750mL corked & caged bottle poured into a tulip. Crazy thanks to Andy for sharing! Never thought I would get a chance to try this one.

(A)- Pours a hazy rose-blush color that produced some white froth that dissipated quickly. Minimal lace.

(S)- A super dry by oaky tartness surrounded with hints of berry -like fruits. Ever so slightly funky.

(T)- Similar to the smell, though far more sourness than expected. Really nice dry oaky bits in there that meshes quite nicely with the berry (raspberry, strawberry, blueberry) fruits.

(M)- A really nice bubbly carbonation level. Balance is real good too with the sour, oak, and fruits. Harmonious is really the best word I can use here.

(O)- This is just plain nice. A lovely balance of oak, fruit, and sour that just helps it be that much more drinkable . Very well done!

Nov 05, 2012

BeerFMAndy from Wisconsin

4.55/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml cork and caged bottle poured into a Bruery tulip.

Chaney, you're one generous MFer!

A - Splinter Blue pours a hazy apricot orange color with a fizzy off white head that disappears quickly due to the beers acidity.

S - Woody acidic barnyard sourness erupts from this beer with an orgasmic aroma! Light tart fruitiness trails behind with very tannic cherry skin and little hops or malt to ground it as a "beer".

T - Light blueberry and faint raspberry fruitiness trail behind the funky acidic sour power that is Splinter Blue! Barnyard and acid isn't overpowering, instead, it compliments the fruit. "Beer qualities" (i.e. typical malt and hop flavors) are absent.

M - Prickly carbonation dances on the tongue while the sourness and acidity of the beer grip the taste buds with gentle force. Light-bodied and smooth, this drinks like a dream.

O - Splinter Blue is a great American Wild that marries fruit and sour without getting too big with either. Delicious and drinkable, this sour power is a fantastic offering from the Tröegs brothers!

Nov 03, 2012

DefenCorps from Oregon

3.99/5  rDev -7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thank you, Peter.

Mildly hazy pinkish red with a thin, white head that falls off quickly leaving no lacing, this beer looks OK. The nose, OTOH, is quite nice. Bright with cherries and wheat with a nice Brett funk present, this is fairly simple but well-balanced and refreshing. Some lactic notes are also present.

The palate opens with bright, ripe, red cherries with some cherry skin and minimal tannin character. A nice balance between the fruit sweetness and fruit sourness is present. A mild lemony sourness is also present. Drying on the finish with a little oak and a light tannin presence, this light bodied beer has a medium-high level of carbonation. Refreshing, enjoyable.

Jul 25, 2012

Spider889 from Ohio

3.77/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Shared at one of the Jackie O's releases, getting caught up on notes.

Definite gusher - as if it were shaken up.

Caramel colored at first, but quite light in color density with red/rose and orange hues in the light.

Smells nice and funky, sour, quite acidic, but she mellows over time.

Tastes sour but never really puckering. Blueberry and cherry flavors.

Extremely dry mouthfeel. This was a nice beer, but not worth the extreme hype it was getting when it was first released.

May 30, 2012

aasher from Indiana

4.54/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Courtesy of MordorMongo, thanks Scott!

This beer pours a light bodied dark strawberry gold in color with a highly carbonated one finger white head. The nose is fruity and tart. It has some tart strawberry and blueberry. It is beyond approachable. The tartness and funk intermingled perfectly with the fruit character. The flavors are a mix of dry and funky Blueberry and strawberry sours with light brett. It's dry, earthy, funky. It's also a bit floral. I love it! It drinks very light with a lot of carbonation. It's very effervescent. This beer is superb, all around superb. The fiance loved it too. It was very unique and very good simultaneously. If this is ever available again I'm definitely going to search it out.

Apr 28, 2012

mdaschaf from Indiana

4.42/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review from notes. Consumed at the Moo Bar.

A: Pours a hazy golden color with a egg-shell white head, about 1.5 fingers in height. The head fizzles out rather quickly, leaving behind a thin cap on top. Spotty lacing.

S: Lots of sour/tart cherries mixed with some other light fruits - lemon, apple, and a little pear. Nice funky/barnyard notes come through as well.

T: Similar to the aroma in that the sour cherries dominate and show up immediately. More apple and lemon with some bready malt rounding it out. The brett imparts some slight funk.

M: Medium bodied, nice and tart/acidic. Carbonation is a touch high, but I didn't really have a problem with it.

O: I am a fan of this beer, nice cherry flavor along with a great level of funk/tart. Too bad I will probably never have it again as it is tremendous.

Mar 14, 2012

BarrytheBear from Wisconsin

4.47/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared with a few locals at a tasting and courtesy of the always awesome Alex....thanks buddy!

Lively light orangish pink pour with a short lived head that settles to a still surface. Tight stream of steady bubbles fire from center of the glass. Appealing to the eye.

Nicely tannic, peaches, lemon, and cherry up front. Light Brett funk is subtle. Everything seems in harmony. I kept my beak perched atop the glass for quite some time.

Smooth, tight, and dry. Sour peach and cherry with a medium level acidity. The blending and aging work extremely well here. Cherry really emerges as the beer warms. Thankfully, the Brett takes a back seat here, which is solid since he can be a fickle fuck. Finish is dry and crisp.

Effervescent and inviting, Splinter Blue is a really enjoyable and well executed Wild Ale. Cheers to Troegs for this treat.

Feb 05, 2012

drabmuh from Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks Matt, my first Splinter beer, although I really need to drink that black on the shelf soon.

Beer is hazy, sort of looks like a pinkish witbier. Wispy head, white bubbles, swirls, moderate carbonation, some lacing, looks interesting.

Aroma is sweet, tart, cherries, fruits, lactic, strong, mild acetic bite.

Beer is light in body, moderately sour, some tartness at the back of the palate, an interesting beer all around, mild maltiness up front, I'd have it again.

Jan 12, 2012

bbeane from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Been sitting on this one for awhile... New Years Eve with some friends seemed like a great occasion to finally open it

A- Poured into a tulip... Starts with a nice white somewhat fizzy head that disappears quickly and leaves little if any lacing. Beer looks like a blush wine but with lots of sediment

S- Some light notes of cherry with lots of funk

T- Wish I had more of this... The sour cherries are pretty subtle next to the yeasty funkiness that just dominates the flavor. It's not an overwhelming pluckiness, but just right

M- Light bodied with light carbonation

O- This is some awesome swill. Almost wish I had drank it sooner, and makes me wonder how different it might have been fresh. Kind of bums me out that they didn't release a splinter series beer this year since they're typically pretty stellar

CHEERS

Jan 01, 2012

aglose45 from Pennsylvania

4.77/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Splinter Blue: Cracked to celebrate the life of my childhood puppy that had passed recently.

4/5 A: Pours a hazy light golden brown, with a pink hue.  The head was white, also with a pink hue, but receded very quickly.

4.5/5 S: The nose brings a blast of sour cherries and Brett.  The sour/funk is balanced by sweet cherries and wheat notes.

5/5 T: The taste is opposite the nose.  The sweet cherries lead the way, followed by sourness from the bugs, then some funky leather notes from the Brett.  The after taste has a cherry medicinal flavor melded with a wheat flavor.  There is some spiciness on the end as well.

4.5/5 M: Light bodied, highly carbonated and solidly sour.

5/5 D: Overall this beer is a winner.  Congrats to the guys over at Troegs!

Nov 15, 2011

Urbancaver from Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to whomever shared this with me at Jackie O's!!

Bottle Explodes on opening. A true gusher. Pours a hazy almost pinkish orange. A Touch of white head that dissipates immediately. Smells sweet and fruity. Peach perhaps? A nice subtle tartness on the nose and tongue. vanilla, oak, and tart fruity sourness. Smooth on the tongue. Great mouthfeel.

Aug 29, 2011

AleWatcher from Illinois

3.67/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes-- still trying to get caught up!

Won this in an LIF from Imthatguy83. Shared it with a bunch of Ba's at my house.

A pinkish light peach color with a minimal light head.... It is odd, because the beer is clearly VERY carbonated, and yet the head doesn't retain-- it's like it bubbles itself away. The head was less than a finger at the start anyway.

Smells of oak and sour cherries-- but not sweet. The taste is dry, oaky, and hitting sour cherries.

The body is certainly overcarbonated. As this warms up, the gas escapes and it begins to feel better, but initially, the bubbles were so ubiquitous that it felt like they were bubbling themselves off my tongue. It does hurt my overall enjoyment a bit. The flavor is great, the taste is great, and the overall is still pretty strong. Not a bad beer here.

Aug 28, 2011

ZX6Chris from California

5/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I was pleasantly surprised when javib showed up to a bottleshare with this bottle. Thanks!

I didn't expect much based on old reviews. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a beautiful pour with a nice berry/sour aroma. The taste and mouthfeel did not disappoint. This was a very peasant sour and it has aged very gracefully. I traded for a bottle of my own it was so good.

Update: I opened my bottle at Toronado last night(10/11/11) and shared it with the beertenders. Highly carbed, tart and sour without that harsh acetic bite. Absolutely delicious.

Aug 12, 2011

BARFLYB from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks go out to Joe for busting this out at a recent tasting.

Splinter Blue comes into the tulip looking a dark golden color with some orange highlights towards the sides, a bit of a red hue depending on how you look at it. The head is 1/2 an inch of vanilla white and a tint of pink, no stick.

Smell is quite wonderful and pungent with just a touch of the base wheat bier coming through. The bugs really took a hold of this with some dry oak and brett essence. Some funky barnyard notes and a hit of brine with extreme warming.

Taste is exquisite. Very complex flavors coming from a simple Dreamweaver Wit base. Tastes of wheat are pretty tame, oak is pretty large, tannins, tart cherry flavor and some vanilla from the wood. The brett and other bugs put this over the top. It's surprising how great Troeg's sours come out considering they don't really do sour beer. I just get a whole lot of goodness from this.

Feel is very tame, light bodied and nicely carbed. The tartness is pronounced, the acidity is kinda tame yet enough to add another layer. The cherry flavor sticks around just enough and than the oak and brett blast out. A bit of that brine on the aftertaste when warmed up. Yummy!!

Overall, this is an excellent beer, well executed and complex from a simple style. A whole bottle to the head would be a no-brainer and easy to tackle.

Aug 09, 2011

mikesgroove from South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

pours a light reddish color with a good head on top. Nice retention as well with sticky webbing up and down the sides of the glass.

lots of fruit at first, raspberries, touches of sour apple tartness, rich with a mild sweetness that starts to billow up, light woody notes and a hint of grapes now as well hint at a barrel in its past a nice sour bite right out in front, really impressive here. Vinegar and tart cherries,raspberries seamlessly woven in with a nice woody, earthy note. vanilla and light brown sugar underneath as well, Hints of a mild sweetness come through mid palate, again rich, complex. Dry finish, puckering with the last drops of sour

Aug 03, 2011

scottfrie from California

4.18/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle into Portsmouth snifter. Huge thanks to StormKing47 for trading me this!

A: Pours a hazy dark pink with a billowing, huge, off-white head that took a while to fade into a fuzzy film.
S: Lightly tart notes of cherries and red fruits with some funky notes of straight horse poo.
T: Green apples, apricots, raspberries, red apples, lemon zest sourness, vinous notes and gritty cherry skin tannins. This is one fruity beer. There is a decent amount of funk as well but it’s not crazy. I don’t get any cheese. The brett has the horse turned down but it is still very flavorful.
M: Clean, a few tannins, and pretty dry all around. The carbonation was pretty ample after the pour, but as it wore off the mouthfeel became quite pleasant.
O: I enjoyed this all around. A really tame sour but who’s says they all have to make your mouth pucker. The brett and fruit really went well together and it had a great mouthfeel. Thanks again, Jeff!

Jun 29, 2011

mjyoung from California

4.62/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Split w/ scottfrie. Much thanks! Drank 6/25/11.

A: A nice ruby-red grapefruit color that initially poured a MASSIVE head that dissipated nicely.

S: Whew. Talk about barnyard funk indeed. Strong notes of Brett that dominate the nose. A hint of tart (green apples?) and some cherry comes through.

T: The Brett comes through in the taste as well, but in a very balanced way. This beer is a refreshingly delightful balance between tart green apple and sour Brett. There's a hint of cherry, but it appears to have faded a bit.

M: Nicely carbonated, and the body is oh-so-nicely intermediate. There is a bit of a syrupy finish that comes across as a bit off, but it's good.

O:This is an extremely tasty beer. It's a refreshing combo of sour and tart.

Jun 26, 2011

jorg2619 from Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Wow am I glad I popped this splinter blue with my wife. This wild ale is awesome over carbonated just enough to overflow when the corks pops off. Into the glass huge carbonation with slightly tinted bubbles perhaps influenced by the dull light red hue of this brew. The smell is hints of sour and bready-ness with citrus sweet notes hinting at grapefruit or the cherries. The taste is sour sour sour with smacks of cherries and slices of razor sharp carbonation. The mouth feel is just right thin super carbonated and awesome. My wife and I enjoyed this hard to get beer.

May 28, 2011