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

Canned Winter 2026, drunk 3/8/26.
Maybe another month of cold conditioning has greatly aided this, because this smells unreal! First and foremost it smells like a lager, with rich, honey-like malt and a crisp, mineral-laden finish. The pickle/vinegar character arrives on the tail-end and is very tasteful (very light). Almost gives it an oak and mixed ferm character, in a good way.
A bit more pickle character in the flavor, than the nose. Again, the flavor almost approximates oak and there's an ample, supple malt. Texture gets a little loose/watery by the finish, but I think the flavor is done about as well as possible. Maybe a touch, touch less pickle character would be perfect? No doubt it's extremely tough to balance the exact, perfect amount. But they've done an admirable job and there's still an excellent, classic lager here not masked by the adjunct.