Beer of the Moment: Bare Bones’ Buster

Beer and community are inseparable in Oshkosh. It's been this way since our first breweries were launched in 1849. There's a beer named Buster that just went on tap at Bare Bone Brewery that typifies the sense of community that tends to form around beer here.

Buster

Buster is a rustic ale taken in a modern direction. It starts as a blonde ale with a creamy, malt base built from a foundation of oats. The soft texture gives way to sweet and tart flavors from an especially generous dose of Door County cherries. The simple construction produces a complexity worth lingering upon. At 6.5% ABV, this is not a small beer, yet it still travels lightly.

The idea for Buster arose three years ago when the Oshkosh chapter of Girls Pint Out decided it was time to go beyond the taprooms they’d been touring and get into the brewhouse. The group partnered with Bare Bones in developing the recipe for Buster and took part in its inaugural brew. Buster met with such success that Bare Bones has brewed it annually every year since.

You don’t need to know the story behind a beer like this to enjoy it. But when you do, it makes for a more memorable experience. Just about every beer has a story to tell. In Oshkosh, that story usually comes back around to community.

Beer of the Moment is an ongoing series I’m writing about local beer for the Visit Oshkosh website. These are not intended as critical reviews or endorsements. Their purpose is to provide a glimpse into the local beer culture for people considering a visit to Oshkosh. I also post them here in hopes of building a representative overview of the sort of beer that is being made here now. Most of the beers featured in this series have been selected by the brewers.