Otto's Pub and Brewery

Many were disappointed when it was announced that the annual BrewExpo was not to occur this year. But do not despair, Happy Valley beer lovers: just head to Otto’s Pub & Brewery, #10 on last year’s list of Individual Brewpubs in the Northeast Region, at any time of the year! The N. Atherton establishment is also #70 nationwide out of more than 900 brewpubs.

We are quite lucky that master brewer Charlie Schnable, 1993 graduate of Penn State, decided on Happy Valley as the location for his brewpub. Hailing from Lycoming County, he founded Bullfrog Brewery in 1996. Schnable saw the right market here in State College and then opened Otto’s in 2002.

When you arrive at to Otto’s the first thing you’ll notice is the huge silver tanks brewing up several varieties of beer. (Want to learn more? Ask for a tour!

Many beers featured seasonally, and everyone seems to have a favorite. Probably the most buzz is around the Double D and Triple D IPA’s. The Triple D took a whopping 75 pounds of hops and 1800 pounds of barley to make and has a 12% ABV. Seasonal brews include the Hefeweizen, Apricot Wheat and Jolly Roger (named after Otto’s partner Roger Garthwaite). Schnable notes that he would like to add the currently seasonal coffee stout as a year?round choice. Most of the beers feature names related to Happy Valley, such as the Spring Creek Lager and Mt. Nittany Pale Ale.

You can also stop by for Firkin Fridays around 5pm. A different beer each week is featured, having been conditioned in a cask, and then gravity?poured for an authentic taste. You have to give it a try!

New executive chef Tim Shevlin also enjoys working with the Otto’s team to incorporate the beers in his dishes. The Portland, Oregon native was already quite familiar cooking with wine; with some tweaking some of those same techniques can be used with beer instead. A customer favorite is Drunken Chicken; chicken literally brined in Spruce Creek Lager along with salt, sugar and aromatics. Another newer and seemingly simple use is in pizza crust, or in any other appropriate dish where beer can be substituted for water.

As Schnable notes, “Otto’s is a brewery first,” and you can find their beer all over town. While you can buy the beer in 22 oz. bottles, 1/2 gallon growlers and kegs at the restaurant, you can also find it to go at places like Olde New York, Wegmans, Zeno’s and Brewsky’s. But visit some other area restaurants ? like Harrison’s, Kelly’s, Zola and the Autoport ? and they even have it on tap. A future goal is to bottle the brews in 12 oz. bottles.

Schnable’s newest venture is in hard apple cider. In collaboration with the farm of happy cows that feed on Otto’s spent grain, they were able to resurrect a cider press that was out of commission for 8 or 9 years. The result is Keewaydin Hard Cider. Stop by the restaurant and ask your server for a taste!

Ditch the Budweiser and other macrobrews, impress your friends and make a trip to Otto’s!

Otto’s Pub and Brewery  •  2235 North Atherton St  •  State College, PA 16803  •  814-867-OTTO (6886)
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