Blue and white streamers sweep from the lofty rafters at Northwood Public House & Brewery in Battle Ground. A whimsical wood cuckoo clock hangs above the bar. It’s Oktoberfest again, a tradition that began when Eric and Paula Starr bought the business 10 years ago.
This year, the Bavarian beer-fueled polka and brat fest will sound a bittersweet note for those who have celebrated here for the past decade.
The seeds for this fall festival were planted decades ago when Eric Starr visited Munich for Oktoberfest. Northwood staff thought he was crazy the first year when he had them put the tables together and seat strangers just as they do in Germany. But bringing people together worked like a charm. It spread good cheer, or gemütlich as Starr likes to call it, throughout the vaulted beer hall. The next year, staff showed up dressed in lederhosen, eager for another Bavarian-inspired beer celebration.
Friendly service and thoughtful touches like the fresh cut flowers Paula Starr brings from her garden or the group photo of the regulars hung on the wall have made Northwood a popular community gathering space year-round. This successful business attracted new owners Doug and Christine Ellenberger of White Salmon-based Everybody’s Brewing.
“We went to dinner at Northwood, and we loved it,” said Rana Beaman, financial controller for Everybody’s Brewing, “We have the exact feel in White Salmon. We want to keep that vibe and add our vibe.”
Locals interested in getting a feel for the new owners can join their 16th anniversary celebration in White Salmon on Oct. 12. Last year, Everybody’s Brewing shut down White Salmon’s main drag to create a street party for its 15th anniversary. The event was so popular, the city of White Salmon asked Everybody’s Brewing to do it again this year.
Staff will stay the same at Northwood when the Ellenbergers take over Nov. 1. The taps will shift to Everybody’s Brewing beer and the menu may see some changes, but overall, the Ellenbergers aren’t interested in changing a successful business.
Eric Starr will stay on for a bit to help the transition, but this Oktoberfest is his last big hurrah. The festival has been two days in the past, but this year’s fest is a one-day blowout beer-hall ball.
Paul Rogers, leader of Those Darn Accordions — a rock accordion band that plays polkas, classic rock covers and original tunes — will provide music and emcee games, including the strong-arm beer stein competition.
“We’re super excited to be at Northwood. It’s the last one and the 30th time I’ve played Oktoberfest for Eric. The whole six-piece band is coming. I have no idea where we’ll put everybody,” Rogers said.
Rogers met Starr decades ago when Starr was managing a venue in Portland.
“It’s going to be sad,” said Rogers, “but I’m not thinking about it. Eric has been a great friend for many years. We want him to know we appreciate him. He was trying to bring Munich Oktoberfest to Northwood. I think he’d done a great job.”
In addition to the upbeat musical stylings of Those Darn Accordions, Northwood will serve a special food and drink menu, including a slow roasted whole hog stuffed with bratwurst.
The Oktoberfest platter for two to four diners is $39.95. Roast pig dinner with red cabbage and spaetzle is $26. Roast pig sandwich with potato salad is $16.95. Starters include a big Bavarian pretzel ($7.50) and pierogies ($14). Plates with chicken schnitzel ($26), beerhall brats ($26) and stuffed cabbage rolls ($21) also fill the special one-day menu.
Seven special Oktoberfest brews will be on tap, including Northwood’s own Uncle Otto’s Marzen, a classic Oktoberfest beer brewed in honor of Starr’s dear friend and mentor Ottomar Rudolf.
Since 1040, Weihenstephan has brewed beer on Weihenstephan Hill in Freising, Germany. Classics like festbier, hefeweissbier and Korbinian doppelbock from this ancient brewery will be available, as well as Russian River Brewing’s cult favorite Pliny the Elder and its West Coast IPA called Blind Pig.
The past few years, attendance at Oktoberfest has been down, but it’s likely that this final one-day Oktoberfest will be popular as the community dances it’s last polka and sips a final festbier to bid goodbye to their favorite local and make way for a new era.
