In the beverage category, newcomer Sante Adairius Rustic Ales was selected top artisan. Brewer Tim Clifford had been making at home, but opened Sante Adairius in a small Capitola warehouse just nine months ago. “We strive to give an experience that is all about the beer first. We’re totally obsessed,” he says.
His wife and co-owner Adair Paterno says, “I think we fill a niche in the Monterey Bay Area for experimental, barrel-aged, Belgian-style ales and Tim is so passionate. I think that comes across to our customers.” Although the “tasting room” is hard to find and open just four nights a week, it’s always thronged with the local beer cognoscenti. And it doesn’t hurt that the brewery’s “Love’s Amour” ale took home first prize in the West Coast Barrel-Aged Beer Festival last November.
Runners up were: Kate Appel of 3 of a Kind in Pacific Grove and Kevin Clark of Peter B’s Brewpub at the Portola Hotel in Monterey.
About the author
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
