As a Penn State undergrad, Charlie Schnable started brewing beer in his closet.

It was the early '90s, and a friend introduced him to the craft with a home brewing kit.

"The first brew I made was awful," Schnable acknowledged, but he persisted. Schnable learned in Seattle brewpubs, and eventually became the brewmaster at the Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport.

"It's kind of a hobby and it's a hobby into a profession," Schnable said.

This May, Schnable will bring his hobby back to State College, to 2105 N. Atherton St. where he and his old Penn State roommate Derek Duffee plan to open Otto's Pub and Brewery.

"State College being the fastest growing city in the state — what better place to go," Duffee said of the pair's choosing to return to Happy Valley. The area hasn't seen a microbrewery in about 10 years, co-owner Duffee said.

Plans for Otto's include a bar and full-serve restaurant, with a menu offering appetizers, steaks, salads, Italian and possibly Mexican cuisine, Duffee said. On tap will be ales, lagers, porter, stouts and wheat beers brewed on site, he added.

The beers will be "hand-crafted and brewed in smaller batches, more quality goes into them," Duffee said. "We hope for the beer and food to complement each other."

Initially, the Penn State graduates hoped to open up in the building alongside Panera Bread on Beaver Avenue. But Pennsylvania law allowed a nearby church to protest the liquor establishment's opening, Duffee said.

Schnable and Duffee considered fighting for the downtown location but chose to be "good neighbors" and move to a Patton Township building instead.

The new location, approved in December, is next to Tire Town, Duffee said, and the design of the restaurant has since been established.

Inside, the restaurant will have a "comfortable, yet industrial feel" with steel brewing tanks, wood accents and relaxing furniture arranged in a few different seating options. One of the seating areas will give customers a view of Schnable brewing the beer on site.

Schnable estimates that he's brewed about 400,000 gallons of beer in his tenure at the Bullfrog Brewery. "I've sold a few beers," he said with a laugh.

Schnable's brews will be similar to what he produced in Williamsport, but he plans to do more lagers and cask-conditioned ales — an older style of brewing popular in England.

Seasonal brews will also be on tap, and for the most part, Schnable said he wants to produce what his customers enjoy.

"I like to brew what people like to drink," he said.