Otto's Pub & Brewery
Otto's Pub & Brewery is an American brewpub in State College, Pennsylvania, two miles from the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University.
In 2003 Otto's was voted #37 on the "Top 50 Places to Have A Pint" in the United States by BeerAdvocate.com.
History
Otto's was opened in October 2002 by Charlie Schnable, previously the brewmaster of Williamsport's Bullfrog Brewery, and Derek Duffee, roommates when they were undergraduates at Penn State. Schnable managed most of the microbrewery operations, while Duffee handled most of the restaurant operations. Duffee has since sold his portion of Otto's.
For a time, the local representative of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board did not allow the alcohol by volume level of offered beers to be listed on the restaurant menus out of concerns of "enticement". The situation has changed, however, as Otto's beverage list again lists the ABV of each of their beers.
Brewpub
The brewery uses a Bohemian Monobloc system capable of brewing 1,200 barrels annually, five fermenting tanks, six serving tanks, and a reverse osmosis water filter. In addition to rye and oats, Otto's uses 80,000 lb. of malted barley annually. Grain used in the brewing process is mostly imported from France.
The restaurant serves both standard meat and vegetarian entrees. According to Duffee, "Every beer we sell, we brew onsite. At any given time, we have eight to 12 beers on tap. We do both ales and lagers. We've had stouts, browns, reds, pilsners, and more. We've probably made at least 60 varieties at this point."
Many of Otto's beers are named after local Central Pennsylvanian attractions. The Mt. Nittany Pale Ale is named after nearby Mount Nittany, while The Spring Creek Lager, Red Mo Ale, and Black Mo Stout are named after the Spring, Red Moshannon, and Black Moshannon creeks, respectively. Otto's itself and the seasonal Arthur's Best Bitter are named after Schnable's cats.
In-house beverage production has long included a root beer soft drink in addition to the microbrew selection. Recently other non-alcoholic beverages have been added including ginger ale and cream soda soft drinks.
Otto's also serves a number of local wines, in addition to their own beers.
Pub Club
Membership in Otto's Pub Club has a lifetime $150 membership fee, although this fee was at one time $125. The membership fee allows discounts on beer and other benefits. A Pub Club Member receives a membership card bearing a cartoon rendering of the establishment's namesake, Schnable's cat "Otto".
The Pub Club Mug
Currently, the Pub Club Member's Mug is simply a mug. Starting in Summer 2006, the number of Pub Club glasses (23 oz. beer glass without handle) decreased due to to their fragile nature. Only one original Pub Club glass remains within the establishment, located within a collection of glasses atop the counter in the bar area. Glasses were never sold to the public.
The New Pub Club Mug is criticized as having a 'fragile feeling' due to its diminutively sized glass handle, although reports of the new Mug breaking are infrequent. The old Pub Club Glass did not suffer this same perceived vulnerability.
References
- Bryson, Lew. Pennsylvania Breweries. 3rd EDition. Stackpole Books, 2005. ISBN 0-8117-3222-3