'Drink two and call us in the morning:' Doc's Hop Shop debuts as new Pensacola brewery
The doctor’s orders are in at Pensacola’s newly opened Doc’s Hop Shop. And they sound a lot like drinking beer.
“Drink two and call us in the morning,” are what the house koozies prescribe at Doc’s Hop Shop, as a nod to the age-old “take two” expression that teases the minuscule aches and pains doctors used to be called late at night to solve.
The nostalgic, easier-times feeling that the brewery exuberates is no coincidence, from the free-play arcade games and ice cream cooler to the timeless first-aid logo that the Doc’s name is branded against. Every style choice was intentional.
Co-owner Steve Moehle spent 28 years as a family doctor in Pensacola, but most everyone knew him as one thing: “Doc.” When retirement wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, he started on a new, hobby-forward career venture alongside his son, co-owner Rob Moehle, to take over the former Gulf Coast Brewery on 500 E. Heinberg Street in August.
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Doc’s is more to the two than a gimmicky brand, even though they do enjoy the medical puns, like the “Two Pils Pilsner,” but more so a nod to his past life. If you notice a framed degree on the brewery’s wall –it’s not just decoration.
When the father-son duo breathed new life into the expansive space, it was simpler times reimagined.
“We spent a lot of time thinking about — what do you call a place? And it was about making sure that the name was obviously reflective of us,” Rob said. “I was trying to envision the things that I really liked about growing up on the Gulf Coast. It was driving to the little convenience stores — parents were buying beers and Styrofoam coolers. Coca Colas and bologna sandwiches. So much of the branding is really about trying to create a vintage look.”
However, in the 2022 version of Pensacola, the glass bottles in the Doc’s coolers are local Big Jerk Sodas, and the bologna sandwiches are $5.50 Bahn Mi’s served from the Di Da Vietnamese food truck permanently stationed in the parking lot. Occasionally, the two will even create backyard barbeque type pop-ups, with rotating features such as pulled pork sandwiches, chili or brisket Sundays.
Now guests can listen to the train go by as they sit in the blossoming beer garden with an entertainment stage on the way or play a round of pool in the game room that once served as a smoky cigar lounge. The wooden cigar lockers branded with nicknames of local legends are still intact though, potentially to be repurposed for a Doc’s mug club.
Doc’s should catch the eye of the modern brewery consumer, not just the middle-aged-men who breweries have been historically marketed toward, Rob said.
He hopes that Doc’s will be one of the destination breweries that work together in making Pensacola a craft beer district. The two believe in the vision so much, they even stock other local breweries’ beer in the grab-and-go refrigerator.
Steve said he would like to see the breweries work together in ways they have not in the past. Even joking around with some of the other local businesses, like the sign in the lawn affectionately calling themselves the “McGuire’s waiting room,” hoping for spillover traffic from down the street.
They don’t want to be the best at making every type of beer out there, but the ones they do carry, they want to be known for. They brought Pensacola expert brewer Mike Helf on board to make sure of that.
Their naturally sweet raspberry wheat, for example, is made with about 84 pounds of fresh raspberry puree poured into each batch.
They have about 10 beers that are considered core, like the Gulf Coast Blonde, Shark Bite IPA and Doc’s Mexican Lager, along with seasonal taps rotating weekly.
They also plan to offer other beverages choices aside from beer, like “great wines” originating from France and Spain and on-tap root beer.
The new venture has not only given them the opportunity to create craft beverages and a space for community, but also bond together as they shape their business.
“This gives us a common thing to talk about, share, envision, hope and plan for,” Steve said. “It’s kind of fun.”
Right now, Doc’s is open from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday through Friday and noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. More up-to-date information can be found on the Doc’s Hop Shop Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Doc's Hop Shop brings nostalgic flare to Pensacola's brewery scene
