Oso Jack-O-Lantern Harvest Ale

Brewed by Oso Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Plover, Wisconsin USA

Received a single 12-oz bottle via trade with Ughsmash. Pours a semi-hazy amber colored brew with a thick and rocky off-white head that has some excellent retention and sticky lacing. Aroma of smoked peat, caramel malt, floral hops, a hint of rye and campfire charred wood. Taste is medium bodied, multi-personality going on with a profile of a smoked malt, some pumpkin, cinnamon, a touch of nutmeg and some peat. Finish has a smoked peat (plastic bandage) and slight pumpkin aftertaste that leaves behind a dry peat aftertaste. Definitely not your typical nor average Pumpkin ale. This has to be the first smoked pumpkin ale I’ve encountered.

Bottle shared at the DC Local tasting. Pours a translucent orange, brown with a creamy slightly off white head. Aroma is mild, some brown sugar sweetness, a little earthy, some smokey cherry, a little wood. One person remarked, "smells like a hardware store." Flavor is smokey, cherries, peaty, fruits, wood. Active carbonation. Nice, fruity finish.

12oz bottle, thanks CaptainCougar. Cloudy amber body with medium off-white head. Aroma is medium sweet, smoky cherry. Taste is moderately sweet, cherry, some smoke. Medium body, some acidity.

Pours as a clear copper with a thick, white head. Subtle pumpkin aroma, sweet malts. ooo, the rye flavor jumps out, over powers the rest. The pumpkin is hidden in there. Light-medium body. I’m not a rye guy, sorry.

Pours a hazy copper orange with a frothy, clingy-lacing off-white head. Aroma of smoky phenols, cherry and treated lumber. Starts with an average fullness and some earthy smoke and grassy hop before a dark fruity grapefruity finish. A pretty unique and interesting brew, but could use fewer phenolic characters.

On tap at Sugar maple. Hazy pumpkin orange with a medium off-white head. Aroma of nutmeg, pumpkin, sweet malt and spices. Taste of nutmeg, cinnamon, mild pumpkin, light fruit and yeast. Finishes up semi spicy. Nothing really stood out either way.

Bottled. Poured rather clear medium orange with a tall, fluffy cap of off-white head. The aroma picked up very distinct cherry smoke character paired with earth and surprisingly little pumpkin.. I won’t tell you that it was a good pumpkin brew aroma, but I very much dug the smokage. The flavor opened with tart smoked wood with bready and pale malts rolling onto the core.. a little pumpkin and yam down there as well.. black pepper, earth, and more smoked wood surrounded.. finished sour and smoky, but not necessarily bad. Medium-bodied with thick, rolling carbonation on the palate.. tart and interesting feel from the smoke.. OK stuff. Seriously, though.. this was a pumpkin beer?.. I’d peg it as a decent rauchbier, but not that.

Now bottled as Jack’s Lantern. My second bottle. The first was imbibed a couple days ago with a mixed review. Now’s the time to set and really disect this one. Dark golden to very light amber in color. Tall beige head with just a small ring of lace. LIght smoke and a touch medicinal in aroma. Hint of veggies, but perhaps pumpkin in the background. Has a fall campfire quality. Soft palate that rolls across the tongue quite nicely. LIght sweet start with hints of caramel. Middle has a bit of rye and light pepper. THe light pepper continues in the finish. As with my first try, the longer I set with this one the more it work on me. There’s a pumpkin being roasted over a fire that was dumped into my brew. Has some qualities of a steinbier. Perhaps smoking a pumpkin and mashing, might be a new experiment. Like the other night the more I try it the more complex and appealing it gets. Blake, You need to re-rate. I’ll save you a bottle.