I've talked to so many people over the years about home brewing. They ask what is the hardest beer to brew, thinking I'll say a DIPA or Imperial Stout, I say a 4.5% Pilsner. Like you said, you miss your mark by a mile on a Pils and it's undrinkable where as the others will be at least ok, ask me how I know!It's a style that, frankly, intimidates me. There's no margin for error anywhere in your recipe or brewhouse performance. It's a rabbit hole that I don't want to fall into.
Like you, I enjoy the suggestion of roastiness. If I ever get brave/lose my marbles and take a serious stab at it, I'm thinking roast malt, not roast barley? That said, I've never gotten the "harsh/acrid/ashtray" thing that people use to slag off roast malt.
You dunked on that one. Last week's picture was even better.
Same with composers. People ask who's the hardest to play (piano). Mozart, I say. I get the ???? Look. You can miss 100 notes on Rachmaninoff or basically any Romantic period composer no issues but miss a note on Mozart and you can drive a truck through it.