O’so Brewing Company - Rusty Red

Pouring an attractive reddish-amber hue with crystal clarity and a robust head with good retention, Rusty Red offers up plenty of malt-centric aromas. Look for notes of caramel, toasted bread crust, a hint of brown bread, and a mild nutty and roasty impression. We picked up a light undertone of red fruit along with a floral hop note and a hint of candied orange. On the palate, this red ale continues with the malty theme, developing plenty of caramelized malt flavor along with some toasty and nutty character, a touch of citric and woody hops, and a light residual sweetness. Medium-bodied and very smooth, this easy-drinking red ale is quite food-friendly, making a nice pairing with burgers, smoked sausage, chicken pie, roasted fowl, pork loin, and a slew of other dishes with caramelized or toasted notes. Cheers!

O’so Brewing Company, in the small village of Plover, Wisconsin, has quietly become one of the very best breweries in the state. O’so was founded in 2007 by husband-and-wife team Marc and Katina Buttera, who both grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It took a whole lot of steps in-between to get O’so up and running, as Marc and Katina raised two young children while working and going to school (which is pretty badass, let’s be real). Marc earned a degree in mechanical design and Katina earned hers in accounting, and, after establishing their careers and even moving their family away to Tennessee (for Marc to take a promotion at the foundry he worked for), they realized that something was missing.

As these stories often go: homebrewing soon changed everything. After moving back to the middle of Wisconsin, the couple opened up Point Brew Supply (a beer- and winemaking supply shop) as a side project, which gradually transitioned into a five-year plan to also open O’so Brewing. In the period since, both entities have grown in leaps and bounds. O’so has been one of the fastest growing breweries in the state; their year-round The Big O wheat ale won gold at the Great American Beer Festival in 2015, and their hoppy and sour releases, especially, have made them one of the most influential breweries in Wisconsin. Should you happen to find yourself anywhere near the center of Wisconsin, O’so Brewery’s Tap House offers up an exceptional selection of the brewery’s house beers along with a surprising number of beers from all around the state. As O’so puts it, “Our mission as a Tap House is to promote a ton of great Wisconsin beer.” So: 40 taps in total, including 20–25 of their own, and the Tap House regularly highlights members of the Wisconsin Brewers Guild. In 2019, they opened another location known as the Madhouse in Madison, and recently opened their O’so Amore Kitchen featuring pizzas and more. For more info on O’so, call 715-254-2163 or visit www.osobrewing.com.