Craft beer was flowing at Battery 245 Brewing on Saturday night, bringing sweet relief to the owners and filling local customers with pride.
The real soft opening is tomorrow, but the sneak preview offered proof enough: Warrenton finally has a brewery to call its own.
“It’s cool to see it in action,” proclaimed Michael Ljungberg, part of the trio of local owners.
The spacious restaurant and airy adjacent bar/taproom are open for business after 2 ½ years of construction, converting an old RV-boat business and repair shop into something special – within view of the city marina.
What’s not quite ready is the seven-barrel brewhouse, its fermenters standing empty for the moment as final tests are run.
Sunset Left, the West Coast IPA served Saturday, was brewed off-site at Seaside Brewing. Battery 245’s other new friends on the North Coast supplied enough of their beer and cider to fill the gap: Public Coast Brewing, Fort George Brewery, Buoy Beer, Obelisk Beer and Ilwaco Cider all stepped up.
The new brewery – named after a nearby World War II coastal defense installation – is already boosting the local economy, providing more than 20 jobs.
Tourism officials are hoping for a lot more.
Given Battery 245’s location on a major pathway in and out of popular Fort Stevens State Park, it could draw throngs of tourists and provide a needed spark for Warrenton revitalization efforts.
At the center of the bar on Saturday night was Henry Balensifer, the mayor of Warrenton. He was sipping a pint of Sunset Left and smiling.
“Finally, a local brewery,” he said. “Nothing makes a mayor more proud than something made in Warrenton.”
Reading from the pub menu, Balensifer noted the links to local fishing boats and the downtown Main Street Market.
“It’s truly the local community coming together,” he said.
Among the weekend well-wishers were Greg and Sharon Busch of Gearhart.
“It’s absolutely wonderful,” Sharon Busch declared. “You don’t have to drive to Astoria. It’s right here!”
Also on hand was Johanna Smith, the mother of co-owner Jonathan Elliott.
“I’ve always known that it’s been his dream,” she said of the brewery. “I’m proud of him that it’s coming true.”
Smith, however, couldn’t help but offer some advice.
“They need some plants,” she said, looking around. “A woman’s touch would be nice.”
Many of the customers gathered around a long, elbowed bar topped with a thick slab of old growth spruce – the centerpiece of the taproom. Elliott, who previously worked as a bartender, was happily pouring beers and mixing cocktails.
The first test of the brewery’s kitchen went well, with the chef, Jonathan Johnston, offering an impressive menu with an emphasis on locally sourced meat, fish and seafood.
As for the beer, expect Battery 245 to gradually add more of their brews to the taplist in coming weeks. A wide variety of styles is planned.
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Battery 245, 69 NE Heron Ave., is open seven days a week: Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Monday through Thursday, 11-9; Friday, 11-10; Saturday, 10-10.
