On March 5, Laurelwood Public House & Brewery, located in the Battle Ground Village at 1401 SE Rasmussen Blvd., re-opened as Northwood Public House & Brewery.
The new brew pub owners, Eric Starr and his wife Paula, closed the Laurelwood building briefly for two days to get the place ready for its March 5 opening. Eric Starr said the new Northwood Public House & Brewery will keep all of the approximately 30 employees from Laurelwood and they plan to keep the majority of the Laurelwood menu intact, with the hope that after they receive some input from their guests, they will be able to develop more local, seasonal and health-conscious items.
The Starrs will also continue to offer Laurelwood beers, and by mid-summer they plan to release their own small-batch beers, brewed on site by their Little Dipper Brewing Company. The nano-brewery can produce three to four kegs at a time and the artisanal will be limited releases, only on draft at Northwood and changing throughout the year. The Starrs also welcome the opportunity to work with a variety of guest brewers, with the debut brewer being Thomas Sluiter, brew master at Old Market Pub and Culmination Brewing. The first beer release at Northwood will be a Belgium-style IPA.
Laurelwood Co-Owner Mike DeKalb made the decision to sell the Battle Ground Laurelwood location because he felt he needed to focus on his core business, making and selling beer from his Portland headquarters.
According to the Starrs, the name Northwood Public House & Brewery comes from their passion for the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest combined with their love of good food and craft beverage.
“For us, Battle Ground exemplifies a small city still connected to the woods and outdoor lifestyles,” the Starrs said in a press release. “We are happy to become part of this vital community.”
Eric, 53, has worked in the restaurant/hospitality/food and beverage industry for nearly 35 years, finding his calling in 1981 when he trained under executive chef Xavier Bauser at the Benson Hotel in downtown Portland. His management experience includes Burgerville, Blitz Sports pubs and Portland Brewing Company. He was part of the “first golden age” of craft brewing, directing the construction and operation of Portland Brewing’s marquee restaurant and European-style brewery, The Brewhouse Taproom & Grill. This was the first showcase brewery/restaurant in Portland, elevating the menu beyond standard pub fare and using the two-story high copper brewing vessels as a design element.
Eric also grew the MacTarnahan’s brand in the Northwest’s No. 1-selling amber ale.
“I came into the hospitality business as a young man and fell in love with the variety, romance and culture surrounding the food and beverage world,” Eric said. “I still find that same joy working in the kitchen and talking to guests in the dining room. I’ve always yearned to run my own beer hall – a place where my passion for food, beer and camaraderie can come together.”
Paula was born in Holland and spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, traveling all over the world before her family settled on Oregon’s McKenzie River in the late 1970s. Paula has a deep abiding appreciation for the Pacific Northwest with a special interest in sustainability and environmental causes. A notable home cook, she draws from her Middle East upbringing and favors a farm-to-table philosophy.
Paula met Eric in 2006 when both volunteered at a neighborhood community arts festival. They made their creative union formal when they married in 2010 and see Northwood as the next chapter in their “unified vision with heart.”
The Starrs currently live in Southeast Portland, but plan to make their home in Battle Ground eventually, taking things one step at a time for now.
