diff --git a/dist/compiler.js b/dist/compiler.js
index 31c5784..5f25fc9 100644
--- a/dist/compiler.js
+++ b/dist/compiler.js
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ var Context = _interopRequire(require("./compiler/context"));
 
 var escapableRaw = _interopRequire(require("./compiler/extensions/escapableRaw"));
 
+var references = _interopRequire(require("./compiler/extensions/references"));
+
 var builtinHelpers = _interopRequire(require("./compiler/extensions/builtinHelpers"));
 
 var htmlEntities = _interopRequire(require("./compiler/extensions/htmlEntities"));
@@ -65,7 +67,7 @@ var compiler = {
   }
 };
 
-compiler.useExtensions([builtinHelpers, escapableRaw, htmlEntities, adjustAttrs, buildInstructions]);
+compiler.useExtensions([references, builtinHelpers, escapableRaw, htmlEntities, adjustAttrs, buildInstructions]);
 
 module.exports = compiler;
 //# sourceMappingURL=compiler.js.map
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/dist/compiler/extensions/references.js b/dist/compiler/extensions/references.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7271929
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dist/compiler/extensions/references.js
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+"use strict";
+
+var _interopRequire = function (obj) { return obj && obj.__esModule ? obj["default"] : obj; };
+
+var visitor = _interopRequire(require("../visitor"));
+
+var generatedWalker = visitor.build({
+  TORNADO_REFERENCE: function TORNADO_REFERENCE(item) {
+    var node = item.node;
+
+    node = node[1];
+    var sepParam = node.params.filter(function (param) {
+      return param[1].key === "sep";
+    }).reduce(function (acc, param) {
+      return param[1];
+    }, null);
+    if (sepParam && sepParam.val !== ".") {
+      node.key = node.key.join(".").split(sepParam.val);
+    }
+  }
+});
+
+var builtinHelpers = {
+  transforms: [function (ast, options) {
+    return generatedWalker(ast, options.context);
+  }]
+};
+
+module.exports = builtinHelpers;
+//# sourceMappingURL=references.js.map
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/dist/parser.js b/dist/parser.js
index 38d583b..b148792 100644
--- a/dist/parser.js
+++ b/dist/parser.js
@@ -138,12 +138,12 @@ module.exports = (function() {
         peg$c43 = function(id) {
             return {key: id};
           },
-        peg$c44 = function(r, filters) {
+        peg$c44 = function(r, p) {
             var key = r.split('.');
             if (r === '.') {
               key = [];
             }
-            return ['TORNADO_REFERENCE', {key: key, filters: filters}]
+            return ['TORNADO_REFERENCE', {key: key, params: p}]
           },
         peg$c45 = function(key, params) {
             return ['TORNADO_PARTIAL', {
@@ -151,10 +151,10 @@ module.exports = (function() {
               params: params
             }];
           },
-        peg$c46 = /^[a-zA-Z_$.]/,
-        peg$c47 = { type: "class", value: "[a-zA-Z_$.]", description: "[a-zA-Z_$.]" },
-        peg$c48 = /^[a-zA-Z0-9_$-.]/,
-        peg$c49 = { type: "class", value: "[a-zA-Z0-9_$-.]", description: "[a-zA-Z0-9_$-.]" },
+        peg$c46 = /^[a-zA-Z_$.,|]/,
+        peg$c47 = { type: "class", value: "[a-zA-Z_$.,|]", description: "[a-zA-Z_$.,|]" },
+        peg$c48 = /^[a-zA-Z0-9_$-.,|]/,
+        peg$c49 = { type: "class", value: "[a-zA-Z0-9_$-.,|]", description: "[a-zA-Z0-9_$-.,|]" },
         peg$c50 = function(first, after) {
             return first + after.join('');
           },
@@ -1760,7 +1760,7 @@ module.exports = (function() {
       if (s1 !== peg$FAILED) {
         s2 = peg$parsetornado_key();
         if (s2 !== peg$FAILED) {
-          s3 = peg$parsetornado_filters();
+          s3 = peg$parsetornado_params();
           if (s3 !== peg$FAILED) {
             s4 = peg$parserbrace();
             if (s4 !== peg$FAILED) {
diff --git a/src/compiler.js b/src/compiler.js
index 081fa6a..0fcaf58 100644
--- a/src/compiler.js
+++ b/src/compiler.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 import Context from './compiler/context';
 import escapableRaw from './compiler/extensions/escapableRaw';
+import references from './compiler/extensions/references';
 import builtinHelpers from './compiler/extensions/builtinHelpers';
 import htmlEntities from './compiler/extensions/htmlEntities';
 import adjustAttrs from './compiler/extensions/adjustAttrs';
@@ -48,6 +49,6 @@ let compiler = {
   }
 };
 
-compiler.useExtensions([builtinHelpers, escapableRaw, htmlEntities, adjustAttrs, buildInstructions]);
+compiler.useExtensions([references, builtinHelpers, escapableRaw, htmlEntities, adjustAttrs, buildInstructions]);
 
 export default compiler;
diff --git a/src/compiler/extensions/references.js b/src/compiler/extensions/references.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41ed50b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/compiler/extensions/references.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+'use strict';
+import visitor from '../visitor';
+
+let generatedWalker = visitor.build({
+  TORNADO_REFERENCE(item) {
+    let {node} = item;
+    node = node[1];
+    let sepParam = node.params.filter(param => param[1].key === 'sep')
+                          .reduce(((acc, param) => param[1]), null);
+    if (sepParam && sepParam.val !== '.') {
+      node.key = node.key.join('.').split(sepParam.val);
+    }
+  }
+});
+
+let builtinHelpers = {
+  transforms: [function (ast, options) {
+    return generatedWalker(ast, options.context);
+  }]
+};
+
+export default builtinHelpers;
diff --git a/src/grammar.pegjs b/src/grammar.pegjs
index 4326b5a..8df0cad 100644
--- a/src/grammar.pegjs
+++ b/src/grammar.pegjs
@@ -149,12 +149,12 @@ tornado_body_tag_end
   }
 
 tornado_reference
-  = lbrace r:tornado_key filters:tornado_filters rbrace {
+  = lbrace r:tornado_key p:tornado_params rbrace {
     var key = r.split('.');
     if (r === '.') {
       key = [];
     }
-    return ['TORNADO_REFERENCE', {key: key, filters: filters}]
+    return ['TORNADO_REFERENCE', {key: key, params: p}]
   }
 
 // TODO: tornado partial key can be a reference e.g. {#"{foo}"/}
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ tornado_partial
   }
 
 tornado_key
-  = first:[a-zA-Z_$\.] after:[a-zA-Z0-9_$-\.]* {
+  = first:[a-zA-Z_$\.,\|] after:[a-zA-Z0-9_$-\.,\|]* {
     return first + after.join('');
   }
 
diff --git a/test/acceptance/reference.js b/test/acceptance/reference.js
index 8fd587d..b6e7943 100644
--- a/test/acceptance/reference.js
+++ b/test/acceptance/reference.js
@@ -196,6 +196,17 @@ let suite = {
         }
       },
       expectedHTML: '<blockquote>The name is Bond.</blockquote>'
+    },
+    {
+      description: 'Reference with a non-dot separator, where dots in reference are not part of the path',
+      name: 'dots',
+      template: '{com.linkedin.dots.in.path|myVal sep="|"}',
+      context: {
+        'com.linkedin.dots.in.path': {
+          myVal: 'win!'
+        }
+      },
+      expectedHTML: 'win!'
     }
   ]
 };
diff --git a/test/testRunner.es6 b/test/testRunner.es6
index e35d477..679f92a 100644
--- a/test/testRunner.es6
+++ b/test/testRunner.es6
@@ -22,8 +22,8 @@ function runSuites(suites) {
         test.setup(parser, compiler);
       }
       let html = test.template;
-      let ast = parser.parse(html);
       for (let i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
+        let ast = parser.parse(html);
         compiler.mode = compilerModes[i];
         let compiledTemplate = compiler.compile(ast, test.name || 'abc');
         let tl;