Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1479836
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 24 OCTOBER 2022 drink and fewer than 10 were available at any one time. Completed drinks were at first logged using pen and paper, and later, they were hand-entered into a spreadsheet. Today, candidates can choose any of the options from the ever-changing and expansive menus, which generally include nine draft choices and more than 30 bottles and cans at Gulu-Gulu alone. And there's now an app for tracking progress: When a society hopeful orders a new brew, they find it on the app then ask their server to enter a secret code on their phone verifying their order. While the precise methods and rules E AT + D R I N K CONTACT gulugulucafe.com might have changed, the principle has remained the same: encouraging people to think beyond the IPA and try something they might not have considered previously. "The idea of taking a tour of a variety of different styles was really appealing," Nix says. "You're stepping out of your comfort zone a little bit in order to broaden your palate." Including beers from both Gulu-Gulu and Flying Saucer furthers this mission, by pushing society aspirants to explore both beer lists, each of which has a different focus, Nix says: Gulu-Gulu tends to favor more European beers and West Coast craft breweries, while Flying Saucer pours a lot of microbrews from around New England and New York. The society has been a natural fit because beer has always been the heart of Gulu-Gulu, Nix explains. When the owners opened their original cafe in Lynn in 2005 (they moved to Salem in 2007), they wanted to create a space that was about community, more about hanging out than turning over tables. Beer has proven to be an essential in creating that atmosphere. "They wanted to create this small, cozy place where you can relax," Nix says. "The beer is something to do and something to talk about—you never run out of things to talk about when you're talking about beer, whether or not you're literally talking about beer." Steven Feldman is the owner of Gulu-Gulu Cafe.