Recluse Brew Works named one of nation’s best new breweries

During Recluse Brew Works’ one-year anniversary party on Dec. 1, 2024, Ezra Johnson-Greenough, founder of the “New School Beer and Cider” web magazine and the Oregon Beer Awards, told Recluse’s owner and lead brewer, Gus Everson, that the Washougal brewery might soon be receiving some special recognition.

“He was kind of dropping hints,” Everson said, explaining that Everson mentioned that Recluse may be included in an article published by VinePair, a digital media company focused on content related to wine, beer and spirits. “He was like, ‘You guys might be in an article in ‘VinePair.’ You might not. I don’t know. I put some words together for you.’ I was like, ‘OK, let’s hope so.’”

Everson’s hopes were answered 10 days later, when Recluse made VinePair’s 2024 list of the nation’s 22 best new breweries. The article, written with input from beer-brewing professionals, was published on VinePair’s website in mid-December 2024. Recluse is one of five West Coast breweries on the list, which also included Home Brew Mart in San Diego; ISM Brewing in Long Beach, California; Shorthead Brewing in Tieton, Washington; and Terranaut Beer in Bend, Oregon.

“I was definitely surprised,” Everson said of Recluse’s inclusion on the list of the country’s top new breweries. “I’m really proud of the beer we’re putting out, but I definitely didn’t expect something like that. I’m definitely super proud of it. We just turned a year old, and getting recognized like that feels really good and makes us feel really confident in what we believe in. It’s awesome. It reassures me, personally, that I’m onto something. It makes me feel happy that people enjoy our beer.”

Max Shafer, brewmaster of Pure Madness Brewery Group in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, told VinePair he was “drawn to the breadth of styles” Recluse offered, as well as the Washougal brewery’s desire to create “beer-flavored beer for people who love beer.”

“That is me,” Shafer told the VinePair reporter. “My first (Recluse) beer was Hinterlands, their German-style pilsner, which nine out of 10 times is the style I am going to order. Hinterlands did not disappoint, so I tried a few other offerings and was very impressed with the quality and flavors coming through in their beers.”

Everson focuses on creating lagers, which are brewed at cooler temperatures and are known for being crisper, cleaner and more refreshing than ales, with slightly more sugar and generally less alcohol content.

“European traditions clash with West Coast expressionism in the nature versus nurture contradictions of Recluse Brew Works,” the VinePair article stated, adding that Recluse’s brews “appeal to ‘lagerheads’ who won’t shut up about horizontal tanks and decoction mashing” as well as to “the cheap-swill drinker who has never thought about beer beyond the foam-to-liquid ratio in a pint.”

The article praised Recluse for creating beers that are “clear and precise like German engineering, but full of character and depth of flavors forged over years in the environment of Pacific Northwest beer culture.”

As of Jan. 8, Recluse’s tap list includes RBW Lager, which won a bronze medal at the 2024 Washington Beer Awards; RBW Export Lager, which won a gold medal at the 2024 Best of Craft Awards; Entonces, a Vienna-style lager that won a silver medal at the 2024 Best of the Northwest Beer Awards; and Moose Man, a porter that won a silver medal at the 2024 Best of the Northwest Beer Awards.