BY WILLIAM DEAN
Water bubbled up through the foundation after a heavy rain due to clogged drains. The feds required the bottom of the building to be sealed tight in case of a flood. Underpinning the foundation was another mandate.
There have been plenty of unforeseen hurdles to clear, each one causing delays. But none of that matters now.
Battery 245 Brewing Co. is back on track, headed for an expected June opening. The city of Warrenton, founded in 1899, will soon have its first craft brewery.
At some point, cans of beer stamped “Made in Warrenton” will rumble down the packaging line.
That thought pleases Henry Balensifer, the mayor. The city, population 6,500, has essentially become a suburban shadow of Astoria, known primarily for cheaper housing and the big-box retail stores that straddle the highway.
There’s a lumber mill, cannery and commercial fishing fleet, but a dearth of nightlife and fun places for folks to hang out.
Tourism officials believe the brewery represents a major step forward, or at least a nudge in the right direction. A sorely needed gathering place on the fringe of downtown. A hand-crafted product worth savoring. A boost to civic pride.
“Having something that we can proudly say is made in Warrenton is a big deal,” says Balensifer, who appreciates the town’s history better than most. His grandmother also served as mayor.
“One of the things I’ve always wanted is more manufacturing,” he says. “It adds a bit of local pride and ownership. You know, we make that here.”
All three of Battery 245’s hands-on owners have ties to the region, which adds to the allure.
One of them, Jonathan Elliott, grew up in Warrenton, graduating from its high school. Class of ’98. He still lives in the area, raising a family.
A few years ago, Elliott referred to the planned brewery wistfully as “my dream.”
Now he eyes with a brewer’s anticipation the stainless-steel tanks that will become a compact but capable 7-barrel brewing system. The adjoining taproom/bar is taking shape. The restaurant space is freshly painted in teal and black.
“It’s a cool thing,” Elliott says. “We have a ton of support. What’s better than doing it in your own hometown?”
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It’s mid-March and the future brewery is buzzing.
Elliott is on a ladder with a cordless drill, helping to install drywall in a corridor by the bathrooms. Assorted contractors are moving around, doing their thing.
Michael Ljungberg, another co-owner, is sweeping the concrete floor in what will be the brewhouse, prepping it for a smooth epoxy coating.
He shows a visitor where the fermenting tanks will go, the location of the walk-in cooler. The bar will be on the other side, topped by a thick slice of old growth spruce.
“The taps will go through that wall there,” he says, pointing.
Battery 245, named after a coastal military monument a few miles away, is filling the space previously occupied by a boat and RV business off busy East Harbor Drive.
Beer will soon be fermenting in what had been a boat-repair bay with a 14-foot-high ceiling. Pint glasses will be filled and food served in a former showroom and sales area.
The building, within sight of the boats moored at Warrenton Marina, is owned by the city, which granted the brewery a five-year lease.
The city spruced up the building with a new roof and exterior paint, threw in a few of the roll-up doors that brewpubs love, and picked up the tab for flood-proofing and storm drain fixes. The rest was up to the brewery.
Through it all, plans for Battery 245 never wavered. They remained bold and ambitious.
Instead of a phased opening, perhaps starting only with draft beer sales, the owners went all in. On Day One, there will be seating for 97, the building’s official capacity.
There will also be an open kitchen and family restaurant with a vaulted ceiling and hanging lights. The owners intend to partner with local fishermen and the downtown Main Street Market to bolster their menu with the freshest possible fish and produce.
A separate bar area will offer cocktails and more than a dozen taps for beers made on the premises. During pleasant weather, an all-glass garage-style door will be up, letting sunshine and breezes in.
Elliott pushes the button raising the big door. As the marina comes into view, he strokes his beard and smiles. He’s envisioning an outdoor patio filled with people having fun.
The dream is coming true.
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There was a time not long ago when Elliott thought his quest might be cursed.
He’d been stymied by a pair of broken partnerships and a building too dilapidated to transform.
“I just stayed positive and kept brewing,” says Elliott, who’s been making beer at home for 15 years, tending bar and selling real estate on the side.
His first attempt at a home for the brewery dissolved before it could get off the ground due to a falling out with a partner.
The second try went further. Elliott and Eric Lane, a fellow Warrenton High grad, signed a lease for part of a historic Main Street building that had once housed a grocery store.
The century-old space needed remodeling, they knew, but when work began the duo quickly realized that major structural repairs were required. They had to walk away from the project. Lane later moved out of the area, leaving Elliott on his own.
The quest was teetering when a pair of new partners suddenly materialized.
Ljungberg and businessman Jeff Kilday had been planning a brewery of their own, in nearby Seaside. When a potential deal of theirs unraveled, they approached Elliott.
“Warrenton just made sense,” Ljungberg said at the time. “There’s no brewery, and it’s a fast-growing town.”
The proposed brewery already had a catchy name: a tribute to the World War II artillery bunker erected to guard the mouth of the Columbia from invaders that’s a popular attraction at Fort Stevens.
Each of the partners had experience in business and craft beer: Elliott, with his bartending and home brewing; Ljungberg, whose brewing credentials include a few years at Seaside Brewing; and Kilday, who owns the Wine & Beer Haus in Seaside, a bottle shop with taps.
Together, they began eyeing properties in Warrenton. The biggest prize was the building that had once housed Skipanon Marine and RV Supply, newly acquired by the city.
Battery 245 became one of five bidders for the space, competing with a children’s dance school, a seafood market and auto repair shops.
Most observers figured the brewery made the most sense, due to its potential economic impact, but on May 23, 2023 commissioners went with the school. The brewery was the runner-up.
The trio consoled one another, vowing not to give up. Before they could move on to another site, however, they got a call from City Hall. There was a problem with the commercial zoning of the marina building that complicated permitting the school, prompting the owners to withdraw.
Battery 245 finally had a home.
“I just appreciate their patience and endurance,” says Balensifer, the mayor.
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For inspiration, the owners of Battery 245 need only look north, to the Long Beach peninsula.
Ilwaco Cider Co. opened less than a year ago and immediately found success, embraced by locals starved for a lively hangout.
The cidery forged ties with orchards and farms in the region, creating a supply chain for its all-natural ingredients. The hard ciders made by a former chef turned heads. Then came canning and a distribution deal.
The brewery in Warrenton could have a similar impact, while also breathing new life into the marina and its surroundings.
“There’s not a lot else right now that is drawing people off Highway 101 into the heart of Warrenton,” says David Reid, executive director of the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce. “That marina is fantastic, but you almost don’t know it’s there.”
The marina once was envisioned as a mini Pike Place Market, with craft stalls and fresh fish and crab off the boats, but the plans never gained traction, Balensifer says.
“The vision for the city was to connect better to our fishing roots,” he says. “It helps build that sense of community and sense of place.”
Jack Harris knows a little about that kind of building. He did it 18 years ago as co-founder of Fort George Brewery in Astoria.
When the brewery and family-friendly “public house” opened on Duane Street, people flocked to it. Not just for tasty, hop-rich beer, but a mellow, welcoming atmosphere that encouraged kicking back.
Harris says residents of Warrenton will likely do the same when Battery 245 opens. And the throngs visiting Fort Stevens will be tempted to stop in for a beer or two, himself included.
“I think it’s great. It’s overdue,” he says.
What will it take for Battery 245 to be successful?
“Good beer,” Harris says without hesitation. “That’s what it’s going to come down to. Throw in food, and a little entertainment …”
Reid is relishing the possibilities.
“We don’t have to look very far to see the catalyst effect that a local brewery can have on a community,” he says, Fort George firmly in mind. “I think it can really be transformative.”
A brewery in Warrenton will “definitely be an attraction for people from out of town, but also an asset for people who live there – a point of pride. Being the first one has some power.
“This is not saving Warrenton,” Reid stresses. “Warrenton is already a great place to live and visit. This just amplifies what is cool about Warrenton and opens it up to a different set of eyes.”
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WILLIAM DEAN is an author who enjoys writing about the art of craft brewing. Astoria Beer Zone is his blog. His suspense/thriller “The Have-Nots” is available now.
This article previously ran in the April 2025 issue of HIPFiSH Monthly.
