Hawthorn Bancshares (HWBK) 10-K 2012 FY Annual report

Exhibit 23

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors

Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc.:

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statement (No. 333-68388) on Form S-8 of Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. of our reports dated April 1, 2013, with respect to the consolidated balance sheets of Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc. as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2012, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, which reports appear in the December 31, 2012 annual report on Form 10-K of Hawthorn Bancshares, Inc.

/s/ KPMG LLP

St. Louis, Missouri

April 1, 2013