Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela No. 1 Pumpkin Ale

This 5.9% ABV ale is brewed and flavored with pumpkin (that suits its name), cacao, and spices, and then aged in oak. It is from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales of Dexter, Michigan. This is batch 1206 bottled on 9-27-2012. I thought I was done with pumpkin beers for the season, but this was in the discount bin ($4), and I thought it warranted a try. (Parcela seems to mean lot, or plot in Spanish, so I guess the name is meant to refer to a pumpkin "patch"?)

The beer pours a hazed orange and amber in color (dare I say with a hint of dark pumpkin?). There is a very tall, thick, foamy and ragged head of off-white. The aroma is tart and funky, then spice and cacao, and finally a bit of cooked pumpkin. The taste is earthy, damp ground, leaves and wood; quite tart, with a cider note; light spices; even lighter pumpkin. It is well carbonated in a fine and intense bottle-conditioned way. The finish is massively dry, with a lingering tartness. This is a good sour beer, I just wish they pushed the pumpkin, cacao and spices up a notch, not to overwhelming, but just a little more forward and present. Does anyone know, did this being a year old hurt that, or actually help it?