Last summer, Encinitas beer fans received a long-longed-for gift in the form of Fox Point Brewing. The first brewing company to operate within city limits in nearly 30 years, it was designed as a hyper-local operation exemplifying the artisanality and sustainability at the core of the 21-acre mixed-use “agrihood” it calls home, Fox Point Farms.
Over the past 11 months, the only way to get a taste of Fox Point’s homespun beers – a number of which incorporate ingredients grown on the property’s three-acre regenerative organic farm, such as hibiscus and lemon thyme – was to belly up to the bar at onsite grocery, Harvest Market, or farm-to-table restaurant, Haven. One still needs to venture to Encinitas for a taste, but in response to numerous inquiries, patrons can now enjoy beers at the actual brewery and purchase them to-go.
Management recently installed taps on the exterior of its brewhouse, which is located inside the property’s farm area. In addition to an order-up tasting bar, the space is furnished with wine-barrel tables within view of a stage that features live entertainment on weekends. Guests can select from eight house beers (as well as a kombucha produced in collaboration with Vista’s Bambucha), and for the first time some those liquid wares are available in alluminum.
Fox Point has spent the past few weeks ramping up production to get a quintet of its brews into recyclable vessels. The following are the beers that are currently available in four-packs or bombers to-go:
- Bad Lizzie, San Diego IPA (6.6% alcohol-by-volume)
- Hibiscus Haze, Hazy IPA with Hibiscus (5.5%)
- Sunset Session, Double Dry-hopped IPA (4.9%)
- No-Till Pils, American Pilsner (6%)
- Konnichiwager, Japanese-style Rice Lager (4.3%)
“Our Head Brewer, Brian Carl, has always been passionate about the ritual of draft beer – fresh from the tap, poured with intention and best enjoyed on-site,” says Creative Director Maria Russo. “But the team recognized a growing need. Guests wanted to share Fox Point Brewing’s creations beyond the farm. Canning allows them to take that experience home, to pop a top around the dinner table or bring a taste of Fox Point to friends who haven’t made the trip.”
Can art for the beers is the charge of Fox Point Graphic Designer Todd Anderson. Bright and colorful, the labels feature a mix of iconography pertaining to key ingredients or geographic locales, with a touch of the macabre – an zombie-esque woman backed by crows roosted on the branches of a winter-bare tree– making an outlier of San Diego-style IPA, Bad Lizzie.
While Carl was one of the individuals that originally championed the idea of house beers only being available at the source, he is excited for this loophole, which will allow more people to enjoy his beers after they’ve paid a visit to Fox Point Farms. He’s also looking forward to having a more readily available example of the quality that comes through the extra-effort processes he employs at his unique brewery locale.
“Organic brewing isn’t always the easiest path,” says Carl, “but it leads to more honest, interesting flavors, and that’s worth the extra effort.”
Fox Point Brewing is located inside Fox Point Farms at 1150 Quail Gardens Drive in Encinitas