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Nicole Simeone
Weekend Plans to Meet Me at the Doo Wops
Since we can’t road trip right now, I figured why not sample something close to home and then something further afield. Today we are going from Marlborough, Massachusetts, to Westbrook, Maine. On a spring day in regular times, the drive would be a pleasant two-hour jaunt. Today, we’ve cut the commute down to the time it took me to go from the dining room to the refrigerator. My best time, so far, has been about fifteen seconds. So, here we go!
Meet me at the Doo Wops of Marlboro is a New England style IPA from Lost Shoe Brewing in Marlborough, Massachusetts. They are currently offering online ordering for both their beer and coffee. I will admit, I haven’t swung around to Lost Shoe since this whole thing started, but should rectify that.
How then did you get your hands on a beverage from Lost Shoe? One of the many shifts thanks to COVID-19 is the ability to purchase beer with your takeout. Which we took advantage of on Friday when we sampled the delights of Kith and Kin’s food truck in Hudson, Massachusetts.
The name, like many other of the brewery’s beers, comes from the history of the city in which they currently reside. The Doo Woos of Marlborough, founded in 1988, was located on Weed Street. The nostalgia churned up by the name not only calls back to the 50s and poodle skirts but also to that time when we could all make plans. It was called February and seems like a lifetime ago.
Anyway, to the beer.
Doo Wops is a deceptive IPA. With its hazy golden hue, the first thing that might come to mind is a juice bomb. Its label reading New England IPA would back up that assumption pretty hard.
But you’d be wrong.
Doo Wops of Marlboro doesn’t have an overpowering nose. I could only get the slightest traces of pine and maybe a little citrus. Could that be my nose malfunctioning? It is spring in New England, so maybe.
The citrus hidden in the nose comes through on the front of taste. Lemon and grapefruit are predominant, but they don’t strong-arm the palette. The fruity beginning sits lightly on your tongue before mellowing out. The beer finishes with pine and grassy notes. Again, with flavor without the overpowering thwap you would expect from a New England IPA.
If the weather on Friday had been better, we would have been on the deck enjoying this beer where it was meant to be appreciated. But instead, Meet Me at the Doo Wops came along on our gaming adventure I’ll share next week. I enjoyed this beer a lot. An IPA with rich flavor that’s not a palette killer is getting harder to find. Both Adam and I lamented only having two cans available. A four-pack would not have gone a miss.
Now, let’s jaunt up to Maine, shall we?
Weekend Plans is an offering put out by Mast Landing, located in Westbrook, Maine. The brewery is located just a stone’s throw from the Portland brew scene. We visited the brewery back in July. My notes were lacking in detail to provide a field report, for which I apologize. I would say I have plans to rectify this; however, everything is still fluid on that front.
Weekend Plans is a hazy, yellow beverage gives the same juice bomb impression I was talking about with Doo Wops. Mast Landing didn’t saddle this beer with a coast designation though and decided to go with American IPA. My first impression based on looks, however, was that I was in for a very hop forward drink.
Sweet orange with a hint of lemon greets the nose as you bring the glass up. Gorgeous scent. I don’t wear perfume, but I’d consider changing that policy for an option that smelled like Weekend Plans. The oranges and a delightful swirl of tropical citrus greet you upfront as pleasant on the tongue as it was on the nose.
The fruity goodness shifts to a refreshing, bready flavor. I wasn’t expecting that from the beer. It doesn’t last long, nor is it the heavy bready flavor found in marzens and the like. Finally, the beer fades into a light bitterness that pulls everything back around to its citrus beginnings.
Another very enjoyable IPA that should be appreciated in the warm sunshine. Perhaps even floating on the lake with friends. Ahh…I digress. Needless to say, the name and the beer are well matched.
This would be the time where I sat down and chose which one was my favorite. Except, I am not really good at picking one over the other.
Mast Landing and Lost Shoe put out delicious beer as a whole. Doo Wops and Weekend Plans are both excellent IPAs. In my opinion, they should be put into your rotations if you are a) in their range of distributions and b)inclined toward IPAs- oh hell, even if you aren’t, they are that good. Expand your horizons. These are two perfect choices for that.
Thanks for joining me on this abbreviated road tri p, Nerd Girls. Stay safe and well! Cheers!
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