Smarter with Beer: Beijing's Best Pub Quizzes

Julie Wolf theBeijinger

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Listen Up Nerds! After too long spent wandering in the social wasteland that was Covid restrictions, pub quizzes are back. I decided to check out five different quiz nights in our fair city and see what is new and happening at the finest quizzing establishments.

From Tuesday to Thursday nights you have your pick of the geeky, the sophisticated, the competitive, the obscure, and the just plain strange. So, grab your favorite group of intellectuals – or at least your best drinking buddies – and go get your Trebek on at one of these local hangouts.

4corners

Day/Time: Tuesdays at 8pm

What sets it apart: The only quiz night I tried in a hutong. Tucked into a back corner off of Houhai Lake, 4corners has a real sense of place. They serve solid Vietnamese food and have a great cocktail menu. The quiz has a small, albeit committed, ride-or-die following resulting in a Cheers, “everybody knows your name” kind of vibe. Bartender Michelle remembered me from a previous visit and asked, “China Rouge and pork belly Bahn mi?” referring to my last order – not my waistline – as I walked in the door.

The Quiz: There is a rotating set of quiz masters. However, on the night I visited, the tall, charismatic, and self-deprecatingly humorous Ryan, was leading the charge. I have been told the 4corners quiz leans pretty heavily into video game and MCU questions (which are not really my forte), but I found the quiz this night to be a solid mix of general knowledge, current events, and music. Shots are given to the winning team of each round and the overall winning team gets a bottle of their choice from the bar.

It's not cheating to ask the bar dog for help!

Paddy O’Shea’s

Day/Time: Wednesdays at 8pm

What sets it apart: You know exactly what you’re getting at Paddy’s. It’s pub food and beer on tap, although dishes on the menu from Root’s (located directly above) offer a little high-quality variety. This is a place you come for friendship and no-frills. I appreciated the pace of the quiz. We were done in less than two hours, but the questions were incredibly niche: by far, this was the lowest scoring quiz I attended. There was one round where the highest-scoring team only got four points out of ten. The best part was the final rapid-fire round where every man and woman was out for glory and a free shot by simply being the first to yell out the correct answer. Think drunken Lord of the Flies. Prizes are awarded after each round with drink-offs to decide ties and the top three teams, as well as the second to last team, win booze and vouchers for Paddy’s JSS delivery.

My team's name: Vibe Train

Did we win? Nope! But we had fun…(That’s what losers always say)

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Home Plate (Sanlitun)

Even if you lose, you can look good doin' it

Day/Time: Thursdays at 8pm

What sets it apart: The food is great, authentic US BBQ, the drinks are solid, and it's centrally located. Our self-styled “Benevolent Quiz Master” was Curtis: A fun and charming social butterfly with a wicked sense of humor and penchant for broadway (anyone who caught that reference is my new broadway bestie!). The questions were the right mix of easy-enough-to-make-you-feel-smart but hard-enough-to-be-a-challenge. Enough context clues are given that you can generally hazard a pretty decent guess.

A few interesting twists on the quiz: Each round has three questions and is worth a set amount of points. You bid points for each question depending on how confident you are in your answer. So, if the 3-question round is worth ten points you need to place a bid of 6/3/1 point(s) on each question. It adds a little strategy to the proceedings. They also have a rapid-fire shout-out round, but your correct answer wins your entire table a prize. Prizes are also awarded at random by the host and at the end of the night, the top two teams and second to last team all get the ultimate prize…alcohol.

My team’s name: Philosoraptors

Did we win? Respectable second place

Q Mex (CBD)

Day/Time: Wednesdays at 9pm (on the week I went it was a Tuesday, but that’s an anomaly)

What sets it apart: A lot was different about this quiz. Hosted by the oh-so-charming Stuart and lovely Julie, this quiz is designed to be won by teams comprised of both locals and expats. Half the questions are devoted to each demographic and all questions are delivered in both English and Mandarin.

Two cool twists: The top-scoring teams of the night participate in a bonus head-to-head round. Each team chooses three players, and each player is responsible for one round of five questions against a member of the other team (but only the high-scoring team gets to know the topics before selecting their players). This is an advantage because twist two, consistent attendance pays. In addition to the weekly win, team scores for the month are tallied and the high scoring team gets an RMB 500 voucher for food and drink.

My team’s name: Tequila Sucks

Did we win? Yes! I’m happy to say I contributed to my team’s victory in the final head-to-head round scoring four out of five on the topic of “Wonders of the World”…but I will never forgive myself for missing the lighthouse at Alexandria… I blame the tequila.

The Local

Day/Time: Tuesdays at 8pm

What sets it apart: This was the most traditional and approachable quiz I attended. Great for first-time quizzers who want to have a good time in a comfortable environment with friends, food, and of course booze. Run by the witty and confident Allison there were no tricks or gimmicks, you got points for what you know! Likewise, there were lots of general knowledge questions. Each category included a little bit of history, pop culture, news, and stuff I wish I had been paying more attention to in fifth grade. Ultimately, fun and challenging, but you can still hold a conversation with your friends between questions. Shots awarded to the winning team of each round and first, second, and third to last place get free drinks. Everyone wins because happy hour prices are in effect until the last question is read.

My team’s name: N.A.H (Names Are Hard)

Did we win: Nope! But we had fun…(That’s what losers always say)

Side Street

Day/Time: Thursdays at 8pm

What sets it apart: Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to attend this one, but I wanted to let you know about it anyway. Quiz players get half-price nachos RMB 40 Vedette bottles, plus prize winners get food vouchers from the bar and more bottled beer! The quiz master, Julian, is an experienced host who's been in the game since he began quizzing in Brighton, England.