Tröegs Splinter Gold

Brewed by Tröegs Brewing Company
Style: Sour Ale/Wild Ale
Hershey, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip, Tumbler

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Huge thanks to Albert for the opportunity to try this one. Pours a hazy golden yellow with a small bubbly white head receding to a small collar and spotty lacing. The aroma is tart with lemon zest coming through initially. There is some light sweet fruit with some apricots and peaches and a hint of funk. There is also some vanilla and spiciness for both oak and possibly some other spices. Taste might be a tad sweeter with peaches and apricots even more prevalent. There is a light zesty kick before the finish where the dry oak and funk take over. The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with lots of carbonation but still stays very smooth for the style. This is an excellent and very drinkable wild for the high ABV. It seems almost impossible for this thing to have 12%. Excellent stuff.

UPDATED: MAR 1, 2013 A: Nice pop and hiss as I uncorked this 750ml bottle. Hazy golden-orange body. Massive, frothy white head. Holds up for a while before forming a condensed but sizable skim. Heavy lacing left behind. S: Rich, soft oak-woodyness. Heavy blast of sour fruits (apple, pear and perhaps some lemon). The brett certainly made itself known as there is a nice whiff of funk throughout. Some softer, more typical belgian yeast notes shine through as I picked up some spice and banana. T: While the nose was pungent and powerful, the flavor is an entirely different animal. Sublime, textured, and delicious. Lots of brett funk upfront balances a nice spice presence. Towards the middle sour apples make themselves known, before concluding with a softer pear jab. Some oaky-chardonnay white wine character as well. There is quite a bit going on here and the beer really benefited from both the brett and the Westmalle yeast. In many ways this was reminiscent of Russian River’s (batch 2) Sanctification (my favorite of the RR wilds). Perhaps a tad more apple flavoring in Splinter though M: Light-medium bodied. Lively, but not overwhelming, carbonation levels fade effortlessly from the first splash on the tongue through the finish. The sour fruits and funk from the flavor don’t ripple into the mouthfeel as there is no noticeable puckering. Refreshingly crisp and dry finish. O: A superb effort from the Troegs brothers. I’ve always respected their efforts but this beer really pushes them up there along with Nugget Nectar and a handful of their Scratch Beers (#20 in particular). Totally worth the trip. Somewhat sad I traded my other bottle of the Gold, but I am glad that a fellow beer geek is going to get to enjoy a really impressive brew

Big thanks to Jeremy, Kevin, and Frank...awesome tasting! A-big gusher here, pours a nicely hazed golden color with a creamy white head, good retention and a nice lace. S-the nose is brilliant, notes of red wine, vinous, good oakiness to it, vanilla behind. great earthy tones towards the middle, wild yeast with a touch of funk. bananas, peach and pear come in last. T-a well done cabernet, vinous and oaky up front with notes of vanilla. nice light wild yeast flavors with a good lemon zest behind. the finish adds some nice sweetness, peaches and a hint of tartness. M-so soft and smooth, creamy medium body. perfect carbonation gives it a good clean crisp finish that is slightly dry. D-this is awesome, so smooth and soft, the flavors blend together so well adding nice complexity and a great drink. simply awesome!

UPDATED: JUL 25, 2012 Taste thanks to Jeremy
Extreme gushing by Jeremy’s account. Hazy gold, thin wispy white head. Nose of lemon, red wine, lightly sweet tripel elements. More funk than tart sour flavor, light oak with more red wine and a stronger tripel presence. Controlled sweetness, balanced carbonation, and an Allagash-like wine-yeast balance makes this both an exciting experiment and a tried-and-true recipe for greatness.

Second bottle is a mess. Age did not treat this one well.

750ml bottle shared thanks to Tom. Poured a deep and cloudy golden color with a large sized and frothy off white head. Aromas of brett, funky, woody, oaky, vanilla, and some fruitness. Tastes of brett, honey sweetness, oak, vanilla, fruity, and citrus. This one grew on me more and more as I drank it...well done!

750ml bottle via trade thanks to the extremely generous Deuane on BeerAdvocate. Yeah, Harrisburg! Shared with a small tasting group. Pours a nice hazy golden-straw color with a huge white head that takes a dog’s age to settle down. Very nice bretty aroma, subtly funky with everyone’s favorite smell, horseblanket, as well as a nice sweet malt background. Some light fruit as well. Flavor is amazing and complex, yet light. Sweet pale malt, oak, Belgian yeast, brett, horseblanket/barnyard, green apple, lemon, and some other unripe fruits. I really like what they did here. Medium-bodied with high carbonation. I can’t believe this is 12%, as it has no real booziness at all. Goes down incredibly easily for the ABV (if the 12% is real). A real joy to drink, and I kept going back for more. I’m really proud of my old hometown boys for coming out with a beer like this.

Bottle, thanks to John. Aroma of brett and funk... golden body with thin head. Flavor is very well balanced between the brett hops, westmalle yeast and hint of wine barrels. Brett is the most distinct, followed by the yeast with a great wine barrel aftertaste. Dry finish leaves your palate wanting more...

A: We’ve got a hell of a gusher here! Once able to corral the beer into a glass, it’s a hazy golden orange color with a fluffy white head. S: I didn’t realize that this was a "sour" beer (perhaps the cause of the foaming), but I was pleasantly surprised by the nose. A nice tart fruit aroma, particularly green apples and lemons. There is a mild Brett funk, some oak, and the Belgian yeasty esters. T: The flavor is just as interesting and enjoyable as the nose. The tartness is not quite as pronounced as in the nose, but still a nice apple and lemon flavor providing some pucker, along with some grapes, perhaps. The base Tripel does provide a nice spicey, malty, and yeasty flavor which goes well with the fruitiness. M: The body is medium and very effervescent with a nice dry and crisp finish. D: This was a beer I’d heard a lot about and was interested to try. This one met (and exceeded) my expectations.

75 cL bottle. Pours hazy yellow with a small white head. Aroma is barnyard and citric. Sweet malt and nice brett fruity initially. Mild citric and dominant fruity base flavour. Nice and mellow.

Thanks to Javier and Joe for both sharing this at Woodshop 5.0. Pours a glowing golden yellow with a small wispy white head, great lacing. Some yeast, faint Brett and a touch of dry oak in both the aroma and flavor.