Stop 3 Ottos Brewery and Restaurant in State College, PA

Otto's Pub and Brewery, lead by Brewer/ Co-Owner Charlie Schnable, has been a State College, PA institution since October 2002. Producing 850Bbl in their first year was a sign that they arrived at the right place and time for the beer lovers in their town. By 2004 they were already starting to outgrow their location. At first adding a storage cooler and more fermentation vessels solved some of  their beer supply needs but the parking lot was an issue that could not be solved so easily. By November 2010 it was time to find a new location. Luckily for them there was a large restaurant building with extra space available 250 yards down the road! Now, at about 3200Bbl 8 years after starting their business, Otto's (named after a cat like most  things should be) is packaging 400 cases of beer a week for off premise sales, and is about to expand their bottling another time.

Nik Gets Ill

I arrived at 11 am to see Nik (right) shoveling the mash out from the first brew of the day. The plan was to bottle Otto's Spring Creek pale Ale for the remainder of the day.
Charlie was one of the two people who helped me become a brewer and I consider him and his staff good friends. This, combined with the fact that I love bottling beer and the brewery is outrageously busy, stopped me from asking as many questions as I should have. Instead I was quickly pulled in to the less talk more action vibe of the bottling process and I tried to help where needed. As I tried to quickly assimilate to the alien packaging equipment I quickly forgot the last two days of note taking and the feeling of being in the way.

The bottles come in on Palettes and need to be de-palettezed by hand.

 

They go onto a circular table that feeds a labeler before being filled..

Having worked on a fully automated bottling line, seeing what is required to bottle beer 100% manually  was a real eye opener. These guys work long hours on their feet with no breaks to to ensure each bottle is the best it can be. After 187 cases of 12oz there is a switchover to 22oz to finish off the day. Having used this 6 head Maheen filler at my previous job I am expecting the worst. It was a bitch to use then but Charlie rebuilt the entire thing and it breezes along as smooth as can be......until some dickhead (me) mentions how nicely it is working today, and what a pleasure it is to see someones hard work pay off. Immediately after that a co2 valve (or something) causes a filling fault and Charlie is on the phone with tech support trying to figure out the next step. At this point I am utterly useless and I excuse myself to the bar where I can do what comes naturally....drink a pint and eat something.

Bottle rack. Used to move bottles from palette to table and from rinser to filler

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On the right is the filler. C02 purges the bottles to displace air, following that beer fills the space previously occupied by c02, the bottle is then capped and rinsed. Following this small relatively automated part of the process the bottles are placed in cases by hand and palletized by hand. There is not a part of this process that goes 100% smoothly on a given day, and it is all done so that the drinking public may enjoy a quality beverage. Please thank a brewer, they care enough about you to endure this process for twelve hours a day while standing on their feet.

When I arrive at the bar I read the menu which is again loaded with locally grown, or raised, menu items. I am quickly greeted by a server who delivers a Pilsner in short order. It is exemplary of the style offering up a nice hop nose before I am even able to touch the glass. After my first taste I enjoy the pronounced hop finish and  take a moment to enjoy my surroundings. Hanging from every available ceiling fixture is memorabilia of the storied Heritage of Pennsylvania brewing. The pub is bustling at 5:30 on a Thursday evening, this leaves me wondering if Charlie and Co. will be searching for yet another location in the coming years? It seems every resident of Centre County must be here. What else could explain this crowd, and where will the patrons in line sit?

Pils, Chili, Mussels and Fries help satisfy a brewer weakened by the road.

Otto's has created something unique in State College and it is sure to be a continuing success due to the work ethic of Charlie and his staff of dedicated brewers.





pictures from stop 3