POUR HOUSE TRIVIA CHALLENGES PLAYERS AT AREA WATERING HOLES
By Robb Helfrick
People who haven’t experienced Pour House Trivia might assume (incorrectly) that this weekly competition is defined by knowing details or information of little value. That is the definition of trivia as explained in a dictionary. However, at these local competitions, PHT inspires trivia players with new learning opportunities. They challenge the brain power and strategic talents of contestants, while encouraging them to be social and make new friends. There is nothing trivial about that.
Pour House launched its trivia empire in 2010, hosting events at bars and restaurants in Southern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC. With well-researched questions that challenge the intellect but don’t overwhelm the brain, and by employing engaging hosts, the Frederick-based company took flight.
PHT founder Denny Grizzle earned a Biology Degree with the intention of attending medical school before diverting into a career as a musician. After taking time off to rest his singing voice, Grizzle hosted a few trivia events, witnessed their popularity, and recognized a business opportunity. Today, he has a team of 5 people who write, edit, fact-check, and stylize trivia quizzes for every day of the week. Pour House Trivia now sponsors weekly trivia contests in 120 locations, including in California.
The custom-designed contests include strategic wagering, adding a new layer of skill and challenge to Pour House Trivia. “We keep our trivia program consistent, and players will enjoy the same experience no matter where they play,” Grizzle said.
Trivia teams of up to 7 players compete, mostly for scholarly prestige and local watering-hole bragging rights. The top three finishers win cash-redeeming coupons from their host venue. Two full seasons are held a year, from March to September, and then from September to March. Top seasonal finishers at each venue compete in a bi-annual World Series for the ultimate prize as Pour House Trivia champions. For the recently concluded season, the “What Would Snake Do?” team from Crystal City was the winner.
In Waynesboro, two venues host Pour House Trivia. Rough Edges Brewing is the place for competition on Wednesday nights at 7 pm, and Michaux Brewing Company welcomes players on Thursday evenings at the same time. Participating in PHT is simple; show up a few minutes early, declare your team’s name, grab a score sheet, learn a few basic rules, and then compete. One of the first noticeable elements of the trivia atmosphere is the quirky team names. Among the Waynesboro names are “Masters of the Universe,” “Sherlock Homies,” and “Hippie Chickadees.”
The Pour House Trivia competitions are intelligently designed, allowing teams to make wagers based on the confidence of their answers to questions, which are split into four rounds of five questions each. A half-time challenge, which consists of picture-related questions and correctly matching various items to each other, is a key part of the overall scoring. At the conclusion of Round 4, the PHT host asks a final question (usually the most difficult one of the contest), and teams can make higher wagers on this game-ending bet, which often results in nail-biting finishes.
If you’re in it to win it, a key to success at Pour House Trivia competitions is building a reliable team, one with varied ages and corresponding pockets of knowledge. The PHT host lists the categories ahead of time, and teams pick one question per round as their bonus choice. If “U.S. Presidents” or “Streaming on Netflix” is your sweet spot, bet on them to earn extra points. For categories that may intimidate, such as “Asian Geography” or “Chemical Elements,” wager lower and make an educated guess. PHT rules prohibit the use of cellphones, so don’t cheat.
Each week’s competition offers a new set of questions on pop culture, sports, history, science, entertainment, current events, and other subjects. Register on Pour House’s website (pourhousetrivia.com) and receive a hint of the day email to get a leg up on rival teams. The atmosphere at PHT events is competitive, but good sportsmanship rules play. Weekly standings for every venue are posted on the Pour House website.
The winning team at every venue earns the honor of selecting the first question for the following week. A recent opening round topic in Waynesboro was the Alien movie franchise.
At Rough Edges on Wednesday night, the team to beat is “Vandelay Industries” (their name is a nod to a fictional company from the 1990s TV sitcom Seinfeld), who won the RE title the past few seasons and earned a trip to the PHT playoffs. This intelligent team started out the new season with three straight wins, but they always congratulate teams who sneak past them for an occasional win.
Colton hosts on Wednesdays at Rough Edges, and he also leads PHT events at three other weekly venues. He possesses the perfect personality for a trivia MC. Throughout the game, Colton keeps competitors entertained and informed with music, humorous quips, and scoring updates.
In surrounding communities, other Pour House Trivia events take place at Gearhouse Brewing in Chambersburg (Wednesdays), Hidden Key Brewing in Greencastle (Thursdays), Hub City Brewery (Thursdays), and Antietam Brewery (Tuesdays) in Hagerstown.
Another great aspect of playing Pour House Trivia is that these contests are free and open to all players. Competitors can play as a couple or with a larger group, and often new friendships develop when tables combine their talents to form a new team. On a recent evening at Rough Edges, “Reservoir Dogs” finished second after recruiting a Toronto couple to their team who passed through Waynesboro on a trip. The Canadians knew the final answer about “Corporate Logos,” and were the only players in the room who got it right.
What level of brainpower or keen memory does it take to win, or at least enjoy, the weekly Pour House Trivia competitions? The only way to know the correct answer is to play and test your abilities. PHT venues offer a fun night out with good food and drink, an opportunity to gather with friends, with the likely result that you’ll learn something new. There’s nothing trivial about that, but keep the dictionary.
