Buster's Revisited

When Buster’s on 28th first opened we went there fairly often, or at least as often as our constantly-seeking-the-newest-beer mouths would allow. However I’m pretty confident saying it’s been at least 6 month, maybe more since we were last there. There’s multiple reasons why not and none of them particularly great, we just haven’t been for a while.

Last night Mag and I met up with Andrew and Ryan for a little beer talking and Buster’s was the place. We got there early to eat dinner and had I not forgotten my phone (which gets spotty reception in this bomb shelter disguised as a beer bar) I probably wouldn’t have seen one of the most exciting things written on a chalk board in ages. The cheese plate has returned to Buster’s!!!! Cheese, lovely, cheese…right then and there the mental battle between the Elian Gonzalez and a bison burger was over.

The three cheeses they were serving up were Benton Harbor Brie, Prairie Delight cheddar and Cypress Grove, a blue goat cheese, with a nice hunk of bread from their neighbor, A Baker’s Wife. All were excellent and the plate was HUGE, so I didn’t really need the cup of “World Famous Chili”, but dang if that wasn’t mighty tasty, too!

But the beer, that’s what you really want to know about, right? Mag had gotten there a little before me and started in on a bomber of Rogue St. Rogue Dry Hopped Red Ale. A good red, but a little disappointing that the wonderful b.o. aroma was more prominent than the actual hop flavor. I started out with a New Holland Cabin Fever, which was sweet, but not in a syrupy way, more raisiny and very nice. Next I couldn’t pass up trying the last in the Schells Anniversary Series, #8 – V.T., which I’m disappointed to say didn’t do much for me. On the latter half of beers, things took a turn for the better, including a bomber of Rogue Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale (yes, Deadliest Catch fans, THAT Sig). Besides a cool bottle with Sig’s mug on it, it’s a tasty brew that I’m going to have to seek out on my next beer run.

Andrew took advantage of the ability to do a beer flight of any five of their tap beers and was kind enough to share. The picks included a New Belgium that was just too much on the bile side of sour for me and the highly regarded Goose Island Night Stalker that lived up to the hype. The rest fell in between and I’d love to tell you what they were however although their food menu has improved and they’re getting better about keeping their on line beer menu up to date, it’s still not usually current so I can’t rely on that, nor my memory.

So if you like cheese and good beer, get over to Buster’s. But if you go, go early as this joint is tiny and now that the weather has turned the patio is closed so seating is at a premium many nights.