Whether you're saying "Salute!" or "Slainte!" this Thursday, March 17, Cafe Spiaggia will toast to you with free lunch and dinner tastings of its first-ever draft beers in celebration of Italy's 150th birthday.
Yes, that also happens to be St. Patrick's Day, but don't expect any green beer. Instead, the crew will tap into a selection of rare, craft brews "meant to be sipped rather than quaffed."
The series, part of Cafe Spiaggia's new artisanal beer program, will rotate through Friday, March 25, starting with two lighter Italian beers meant to pair well with the restaurant's menu.
The first two beers on tap will be Tipopils, a German-style pilsner from Piedmont, and Re Ale "Extra," a more bitter brew from Lazio, the region around Rome.
The team first discovered Tipopils while in northwestern Italy eating at the brew family's gastropub. The menu, much like Cafe Spiaggia's own, focuses on artisanal salted meats and simply prepared ingredients that pair well with the beer's fruity acidity. Not to mention that it's from near Turin, Italy's first capital, where many of the major birthday festivities are being held this year. Re Ale "Extra," on the other hand, is a "gateway beer"—crisp, hoppy and light, like many of the bitter microbrews most of us are accustomed to in the states.
Five-ounce pours of these and other draft beers will be available over the next week for $10.
UPDATE: According to Cafe Spiaggia, the beer program will be ongoing and continue past next week, but the gratis three-ounce tasting samples will only be available from March 17 to March 25. The 5 oz. beers will continuously be available for guests to order.