Getting Buzzed

It’s Tuesday night, I’m beating back my sobriety in an effervescent little Carpinteria nook called The Apiary. Late evening sun is shining, an implicitly perfect balance of warm Indian summer fading into cool fall evening. I’m trading tastes with owners Rachna Hailey and Nole Cossart, glasses and conversation commingling in a euphoric double flight of sips, fermented education and nonchalant banter.

We begin with “Jun” a 2% probiotic tonic made with fermented orange blossom honey and green tea. If I had read the description on my own it never would have found its way to my table, but having

the experience curated for me has opened my palate to an entirely new haven of flavors and I’m grateful. The drink is light, crisp, easy to drink, and the bubbly green tea finish is the perfect introduction to The Apiary’s botanical infusions. Rachna explains that Jun is roughly like kombucha except made with pure honey and green tea.

We quickly transition to “Curcumin” which has all the refreshing notes as before but with an intense zest of flavor coming from turmeric and ginger, two ingredients I regularly seek out but have never experienced in such a refreshing sample. Our tasting is quickly amplified

by Rachna’s current favorite the “Drink Your Flowers,” at 6% it retains many of the refreshing components I identified in the Jun. The rose, hibiscus and lavender notes are a mild yet exciting transition to the higher alcohol concoctions the tasting room offers.

We slow the drinking pace down with the higher alcohol samples and I take in the quaint space. It exudes immense character, from the rustic charm of hardbound literature, such as The Beekeeper’s Bible, to framed maps, a fully operational rotary pizza phone, and the hospitable bar staff that occasionally double as DJ, playing eclectic mixes of vinyl records

that permeate the space. There is no other tasting room experience such as this in the county, with a rotating collection of cider and mead all sourced from local honey and organic apples. I feel like the alcohol drinking Winnie the Pooh of Santa Barbara and we’ve only finished the first flight.

For over two years Rachna and Nole have been specializing in semi-sweet variations with experimental infusions and single batch nuances circulating through their taps. I’ve just had my first sip of “Pilfering Citrus” and the literal name has my palate doubling over. Intense sharp and varied citrus notes commingle with orange and sage blossom honey, at 8.8% this is by far the most unique and exciting taste as of yet and has me eager for more. Nole tells me that their passion for the infused concoctions was born out of curiosity, experimentation and a will to explore what are the best alcoholic beverages nature can produce.

Not only is this a true drink passion project it’s a reflection on what’s best about locally sourced and locally produced goods. All of the cider and mead from The Apiary is fermented inhouse. The subtle nuances that percolate between batches add immense charm and value to their ever-rotating taps. I put my notebook away and take in the last half of the second flight with no cares for notes or editorial work, instead dwelling in a subtly intoxicated state of honey and flower bubbled charm. More often than not you’ll find an IPA in my hand, but anytime I’m in need of variety, eclectic charm and an ever progressing variety of botanical infusions, you’ll find me in Carpinteria at The Apiary, semi-intoxicated and fully satiated on cider, mead and the company of an evergrowing community of its enthusiasts.

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