Reclusa (Bottleworks 19th Anniversary)
Fort George Brewery + Public House

Reclusa (Bottleworks 19th Anniversary)Reclusa (Bottleworks 19th Anniversary)
Beer Geek Stats
From:
Fort George Brewery + Public House
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
13%
Score:
+1 rating needed
Avg:
4.4 | pDev: 7.73%
Ratings:
9 | reviews: 4
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Aug 26, 2020
Added:
Feb 22, 2018
Wants:
  1
Gots:
  1
The final decision was 57.1% rye chocolate stout aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels, 14.3% buckwheat walnut stout aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels, 14.3% oatmeal stout aged in House Spirits Westward whiskey barrels, and 14.3% English barleywine aged in Adelsheim Pinot Noir barrels and finished in Bull Run bourbon barrels.

The end result is a rich, silky stout blend full of toasted nuts, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, dried dark fruit and oak.
Recent ratings and reviews.
 
Rated: 4.06 by Dactrius from Caribbean Netherlands

Aug 26, 2020
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.91/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle at share.Dark brown pour with a small cap of head. Aroma is boozy, brown sugar. taste is big malts, with a sweetness throughout. Sugary and boozy.
Mar 09, 2020
 
Rated: 4.37 by rab53 from Washington

Nov 05, 2019
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Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia

4.41/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Bottle:
As I was pouring this beer, I was wondering if it was going to be one of those barrel-aged beers that sucks any head into its void. Luckily, it was not, but the head never really did more than build up a thin, creamy mocha head around the edge of the glass. This head did follow my expectations and not leave any lacing, though there was a light coating on each swirl/sip.

There are high notes from the barleywine and its barrel with tangy dark fruits like prune and raisin accented by the berry note from the pinot. The base consists of a chocolaty stout, with the barrels perhaps adding a bit of vanilla to aid in that impression. Surprisingly, the barrel notes were missing initially, but they are slowly gaining some influence as the beer warms. Eventually the nose is shows some of the spice that I assume is from the Four Roses (which in my limited experience has a spicy bite to it)

My palate's initiation to the beer isn't surprising, the tang of the barleywine, fruits, and raw wood were foretold by the nose. The opening notes remind me of the prune and lekvar kiffles my grandmother used to make, with maybe a little bit of the date ones in there halfway through the taste. The tangy notes get washed to the side, eventually to fade into oblivion as the bite of the spirit cleans up many of the other flavors.

This beer is a bit slick, and the dearth of bubbles on the surface sorta foreshadows the relative lack of them in the feel. There's a little up front tingle, but by the time the beer hits the back of the palate it is smooth and lightly coating. That coating has a bitter to bittersweet chocolate flavor to it. There are lighter notes that come and go of cola and lightly charred dark brown sugar. Lastly, as the beer nears its end and has reached near room temperature, there is a little bit of a husky note - light enough to not be able to distinguish if it is grainy or nutty or actually something else in disguise.

This was a very nice treat. The barrels have a real influence, but do not dominate the drink. The beers do not force themselves onto the drinker, though, and act as a nice breeding ground allowing the barrel notes to flourish. Nicely done.
Dec 30, 2018
 
Rated: 5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Dec 03, 2018
 
Rated: 4.88 by Tman889 from Nevada

Oct 18, 2018
 
Rated: 4.5 by jason_nwx from Oregon

Oct 07, 2018
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Reviewed by LiquidAmber from Washington

4.21/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a very dark mahogany brown, appearing opaque black in the glass with a thin brown head that dissipates to patches with slight lacing. Aroma of dark toasted malt, chocolate, dried plums, raisins and bourbon. Flavor is dark toasted malt, bourbon, plums, raisins, dates, chocolate and oak. Finishes with a nice blend of malt, dark dried fruit, bourbon and oaky vanilla. Medium bodied with light creaminess. Although a blend with majority stout, the barleywine character is clear and well integrated. The dark fruit melds well with the stout malt base. The barrel influence leans to bourbon. The profile is closer to an American strong ale (which are often blends of stout and barleywine), but the stout is the major contributor. A flavorful, full bodied ale with clear, but well integrated whiskey barrel flavors. A fine anniversary blend for Bottleworks. Well done.
Apr 13, 2018
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Reviewed by kemoarps from Washington

4.23/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours that clean beautiful molasses almost-black that I love in a stout. Initial head is about a finger or so and creamy brown in colour.

Nose gives sweet notes of oak and vanilla with a definite presence from the various barrels. A touch of dark fruit and dark chocolate greet continued exploration, and it all comes together in a smoothe seductive blend inviting you to sip.

Flavour starts off bringing the chocolate and dark fruit to bear with the oak and maybe some touch of tobacco and leather. Continues through with a subtle char bitterness before the barreling sweeps in and asserts itself in the finish.

Smoothe enough at its base, there is some lively carbonation and that assertion from the barrels definitely doesn't let you forget that this is 13%.
As it warms the alcohol kind of takes over a little more and I get a finish that seems to take more from the wine barrel than the whiskey barrels.
While I liked the first half of the glass moreso than the last, I still enjoyed it immensely overall and am really glad that I grabbed it while at Bottleworks the other day.

(update: after finishing writing this I slowed down the rate of my consumption and my impression improved significantly closer to my initial feelings. Great one for a slow sipper folks)
Mar 12, 2018