Olde Magoun’s Saloon Featuring Rare Italian Craft Beers

The Somerville bar is pairing cicchetti and porchetta with Belgian-style Italian beers throughout May.

Olde Magoun's Saloon

Photo provided.

Inspired by a trip to Eataly—Lydia Bastianich, Joe Bastianich, and Mario Batali’s sprawling Italian food emporium in New York—Olde Magoun’s Saloon owner Greg Coughlin has introduced a special menu of cicchetti and seven rare Italian craft beers on draft.

“We do certain themes throughout the year,” Coughlin says. “We’re just coming off an IPA month and we’re going to put on a bunch of sour beers in August. This month we decided to do Italian craft beer with a special menu on Wednesdays incorporating cicchetti, which is the Italian version of tapas. We’re also doing an Italian roast on Sundays such as porchetta, beef braciole, and whatever else our chef, Howard Haywood, decides to do.”

Olde Magoun’s Saloon’s Italian Birra and Bar Food menu will take place every Wednesday and Sunday until May 28, featuring small plates like foccacia stuffed calamari, burrata cheese fritters, and grilled lamb chops with a barrel-aged lambic sauce. The beer selection includes examples from Birrificio del Ducato, Birrificio Loverbeer, and Birreria le Baladin, brands once limited to the taps at Eataly.

“Mario Batali has definitely raised the awareness of the Italian craft beer culture at Eataly, and because he’s buying it in such large volumes, he’s helped make it more viable for the importers to bring it into other markets,” Coughlin says. “I don’t know how sustainable it would be for a restaurant like that just to open up without Mario’s name attached to it. But certainly for a month, we can do a little microcosm of what he’s doing and offer a different experience for our customers.”

ITALIAN BIRRA’S ON DRAUGHT

BIRRIFICIO LOVERBEER

Madamin (5.7% ABV): Flanders Oud Bruin fermented and matured in oak casks

Beer Brugna (6.2% ABV): Sour Ale brewed with plums

BIRRIFICIO DEL DUCATO

Baciami Lipsia ( 4% ABV): Gose-style sour

BIRRERIA LE BALADIN

Nora (6.8% ABV): Egyptian-style ale brewed with unmalted kamut, ginger, orange peel, and myrrh

Nazionale (6.5% ABV): Belgian-style pale ale made with all Italian ingredients

Super Floreale (8% ABV): Belgian-style Tripel, dry-hopped with American hops.

BIRRIFICIO ITALIANO

Amber Shock (7 % ABV): Dunkler Bock

CICCHETTI MENU

Scotaditto d Angelo

grilled baby lambs chops with rosemary, shaved garlic, lemon, and barrel aged lambic sauce

Arancini

deep fried Saffron risotto stuffed with pancetta and fontina / amatriciana sauce

Calamari Imobttiti

savory herb and foccacia stuffed calamari with puntanesca sauce

Frittelle di Burrata

burrata cheese fritters with arugula, oven-roasted roma tomato, and aged balsamic vinegar

Prosciutto Avvolto Asparagi

prosciutto wrapped asparagus with lemon vinaigrette, shaved parmesan, and fried egg

Polpetta

veal, pork, and beef meatballs with arrabiatta sauce and crusty bread

Fonduta Valdostana

fondu of fontina cheese / truffle essence / assorted dippers

Antipasti

imported cured meats, cheeses, and vegetables

Polenta alla Romana

wild mushroom ragu with marsala gravy

Tirimasu

layered lady fingers with Peroni-scented marscapone cheese and shaved Ghirardelli chocolate