8.4

Appearance - 9 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Undated can from the brewery, drunk 10/10/25.
Clear, bright, brassy-golden. Large, creamy, off-white head, strong retention.
What to do for rating 16,000? The usual super special, crazy, wacky, rare, expensive, 700% abv, Octuple barrel-aged imperial stout is the obvious choice, but it feels a little less relevant these days. I have a hard time drinking them and it really puts a damper on my evening. Even in our tasting group, the BA stouts and barleywines are beginning to get to be too much of a chore to drink many of.
But here's a beer at 4.8% abv that has a ton of aroma and flavor, of which I can drink a full can without compromising my next day. Haven't done a lager for a milestone; especially not a regular old, non-special release pilsner. But it feels appropriate. Add to that, that this has been consistently one of the best brewery's I've had in recent years, phenomenally underrated, underappreciated and underhyped, with a friendly, accessible owner/brewer, to-boot. And so, is this beer just as good as all the recent ones I've had from River Roost? You bet! Cheers to lagers!