Beer of the Week: Full Send

”Roasty” is the adjective most often associated with stouts, but there’s always more to those dark, velvety beers than that. Long-kilned specialty malts spanning the brown-to-black end of the color spectrum form the basis of this style’s malt backbone, imparting varying degrees of coffee-like character. Along with that comes notes of chocolate, which, based on residual sweetness and bitterness can present as spicy cacao, semisweet chips, or the dry baker’s variety. But to me, the best stouts, particularly those that are higher in alcohol, are those that have even more dimension, with yeast and other ingredients bringing in notes of berries and fruit or accents of anise, spices and smoke. Such layered beers make for the boldest yet most nuanced sensory experiences craft beer has to offer as a liquid medium. Take, for instance, this week’s featured beer, Full Send. A stout that’s the first high-gravity offering from Encinitas’ lone beermaking operation, Fox Point Brewing, it was released near the onset of winter when darker, stronger beers are best suited. Big and bold, it fit the seasonal bill, but with pronounced notes of blueberry and hints of raspberry intermingling with its rich cocoa essence, this box of chocolates in beer form is perfect for today’s celebration of the heart, St. Valentine’s Day. Like all of this brewery’s beers, Full Send is available exclusively at the 21-acre farm, retail and residential community its named for, Fox Point Farms. It’s a pleasant place to grab a holiday-themed beer and take a stroll with your loved one. It will also make a lovely backdrop for a Galentine’s get-together. Or you can just swing by, order a full pour then enjoy this beer on your own. Significant others aren’t mandatory for enjoying a tasty beverage!.

Full Send Stout is a nod to my style of brewing ‒ maximum effort and commitment. This is the first stout brewed at Fox Point Brewing and I wanted to make sure I also welcomed our in-house farm-to-table approach, highlighting our herbalist Jenny Griffith‘s offerings, pairing it with a sea salt-infused 72% cacao chocolate, which, not so coincidentally, can be purchased onsite at Fox Point Farms’ Harvest Market. Full Send pours a deep, dark brown with a creamy head, containing a soft chocolate and berry nose. Flavor highlights include an array of chocolate-covered fruits and berries, and it finishes light and dry with subtle dark-chocolate bitterness. The timing of the brew is a perfect nod to the season, providing a solid stout that allows you to sit back, throw your feet up next to the fire and sip on a good ol’ warming nightcap. I am excited to say we will also be offering this brew on nitro, which delicately changes the flavor experience to a sweetened pillow ride through clouds of berry-fruit chocolate, descending into fields of the darkest malts.”

Brian Carl, Brewer, Fox Point Brewing

Fox Point Brewing is located inside Fox Point Farms at 1150 Quail Gardens Drive in Encinitas