Northwood Celebrates 4 Years as Battle Ground's Beer Hall

About 20 minutes north of the I-5 Interstate Bridge lies the growing Clark County community of Battle Ground, WA. Having just annexed neighboring Brush Prairie, WA into itself, Battle Ground is one of the fastest growing towns in the State of Washington. When its citizens are thirsty, they often gather at Northwood Public House & Brewery.Northwood Public House celebrates it's 4th year this Saturday. Festivities will include a crab feed, live music, and special beer tappings by Brothers Cascadia Brewing and Little Dipper Brewing Company. Northwood is no stranger to throwing a party as they've been host to 3 annual Oktoberfest events, the annual Harvest Days Pig Roast and last year's anniversary crab feed.It doesn't seem all that long ago when people in north Clark County were buzzing over the new construction of a Laurelwood Brewing Public House that would soon open in Battle Ground, WA. This was happening at a time when Laurelwood was expanding their pub model and had recently struck an agreement with RedHook to contract brew many of its mainstays like Workhorse IPA to increase distribution and fuel expansion. That was 2009. By 2013, Laurelwood's focus was changing and they began listening to offers on the space in Battle Ground. Enter Eric & Paula Starr.Meet The StarrsEric Starr spent 1994-2005 as both the Food & Beverage Director and Marketing Director for Portland Brewing Company. While he'll deflect the praise and credit for innovations he initiated there, we'll praise and credit him anyway. Eric spearheaded the effort to make MacTarnahan's the flagship beer for Portland Brewing while arriving at new and creative ways to drive it to the northwest's #1 selling amber ale. Ground-breaking at the time were concepts like canning a craft beer, having a craft beer sponsor a national touring music artist and working with a distillery to source and market a single malt scotch based on MacTarnahan's. Eric also directed the multi-million dollar construction and operation of "The Brewhouse Taproom & Grill" – Portland Brewing’s marquee restaurant and European style brewery. It was the first showcase brewery/restaurant of its kind in Portland, elevating the menu beyond standard pub fare and using the two-story high copper brewing vessels as a design element.Eric's work at Portland Brewing and love for beer took him to Europe where he was inspired by the community gathering places - particularly the beer halls of Germany. You'll find that Bavarian influence throughout Northwood Public House in its open floor plan, expansive tap list, large stammtisch gathering table and even an elaborate operating cuckoo clock."I spent years helping other people get their dreams off the ground - from fast food to sports pubs to breweries," shared Eric. "I’ve always yearned to run my own beer hall – a place where my passion for food, beer and camaraderie can come together.”After a break from the industry, and after marrying Paula in 2010, The Starrs aligned to form Northwood Public House under a vision the couple had had for a long time.Paula was born in Holland and spent her childhood Saudi Arabia, she traveled all over the world before her family settled on Oregon’s McKenzie River in the late 70’s. Paula has a deep abiding appreciation for the Pacific Northwest with a special interest in sustainability and environmental causes.  A notable home cook, Paula draws from her Middle East upbringing and favors a farm-to-table philosophy.Little Dipper Brewing CompanyNorthwood Public House & Brewery's name may mislead some into expecting a full brewery experience (including the Willamette Week who took issue with it in 2017's Oregon Beer Guide). The "Brewery" in their name refers to a 2 barrel system that sits in the front corner of the giant beer hall - almost as a miniature brewery display piece when not in use. But this nano brewery is very much in use. Current brewers Gary Gross (also of Ethereal Meads) and Mike O'Heron (also of Mark's Tanks) create works of art on this brewing playground to bring "big beers from the Little Dipper," as their website states. You'll usually find just one high gravity offering on tap from the Little Dipper Brewing Company. Sometimes 2. But once in a great while, none at all.Eric put it this way, "We hope to have at least 1 beer on most of the time."Despite filling a space previously occupied by Laurelwood Brewing, Northwood and its Little Dipper Brewing Company never set out to become the next regional craft brewery. The 2 barrel system was abandoned by Laurelwood. By all accounts, the previous tenant only brewed a single test batch on the system. It was the likes of Sherman Gore, Richard Tiffany and Jason Bos, who all transitioned from Laurelwood to Northwood in 2014, that approached The Starrs about firing up the system and making some neighborhood beer. These three shared a larger vision and eventually formed Brothers Cascadia Brewing, opening their doors in Hazel Dell in 2017. Their journey will come full circle once again this weekend when BCB introduces new beers alongside Little Dipper's latest offering at the place where it all began during Northwood's 4th Anniversary Party.The 4th Anniversary EventThis Saturday, step into a place inspired by decades of travel around the world combined with a passion for food, beer and whiskey. Northwood Public House invites you to be a part of a crab feed hosted by Tillamook, Oregon's own Kelly the Crab Guy. Stick around for rare beer tappings throughout the day, plus the new O'Smiley's Irish Red by Little Dipper Brewing Company and new beer by Brothers Cascadia Brewing. Live music performances include the Lisa Mann Trio and "gypsy jazz" by Hot Club of Hawthorne. Drink specials include 25% off their entire whiskey list.