"Douchebag!" the crowd at the Irish Rover shouts at someone who has just committed a Geek Who Drink breach of etiquette. He may be proud to know that there are 13 stripes on the American flag, but he doesn't know Trivia Rule number one.

"Oh, yeah," says the host, "if you shout out the answers, that'll happen."

This is not your standard pub quiz.

Coloradans John Dicker and Joel Peach founded Geeks Who Drink two years ago as a way to escape conventional bar trivia. "Most of the so-called 'trivia nights' in town were DJ driven. Ask a question, play a song, ask a question, play a song." Dicker felt bar trivia could be different. "Remember in the Peanuts Christmas special when Charlie Brown buys the half dead tree? Then one of the Peanuts gang says it just needs some love? That's what needed to happen."

Since then, Geeks Who Drink has flourished, finding its way into 41 bars, pubs, bistros, and restaurants across Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. They also coordinate the yearly Geek Bowl, an ultimate pub quiz throw-down in which the bravest teams from each location vie for a $1,000 cash prize.

Outside the Geek Bowl, teams vie for bar credit. Each Geeks night lasts around two and a half hours. In that time, Geeks complete eight rounds of eight questions, some worth multiple points. Teams can "joker" one round and earn double points. Rounds two and seven cover multimedia trivia, ranging from "Hindi cover songs of hip-hop artists" to "Movie clips censored by the word 'penis.'" A visual round might ask teams to identify famous puppets--or TV shows killed by Ted McGinley.



Team "Pants Off Dance Off," competing at the Irish Rover pub on the evening of July 9, found some rounds challenging and some mystifying. They could identify the famous Williams (from John Williams to will. i. am), but had trouble recalling whether Winona Ryder slept with Ryan Adams or Beck Hansen. (The answer is "both.") To generate these challenging and unexpected questions Dicker and Peach oversee a professional writing staff as obsessed with accuracy as the Geeks themselves. They meet periodically to propose and write rounds, and communicate ideas over email. By employing a staff rather than counting on small pockets of enthusiastic volunteers, Dicker and Peach ensure that "geek" can mean anything from gamers to sports fans.

At the Irish Rover, bartender Amber Richardson invents drinks around popular rounds, memorable special guests, and even the hosts themselves. The Geeks contestants can form close relationships with the bar staff. Between pours, Richardson participates with a team that renamed itself "Amber's Army" and socializes with other teams who have become Irish Rover regulars.

The competition seems aggressive, but most rivalries are friendly. "Pants Off" greets the announcement of rival team "That Burning Sensation"s early high-ranking score with boos, but cheered all the winners at the end. Though "Sensation" ultimately wins the night, on another evening they might be brought down by Japanese baseball terminology or "Is it Paris Hilton or Nicole Ritchie?" and then another team of geeks will have their moment.

Amber's Yeastiality (named after a trivia round on fetishes):
Shot of equal parts Bailey's, Frangelico, & Chambord; drop shot into a half pint of Guinness, and chug; chase with a cherry.

Infobox
Geeks Who Drink Denver locations include:
Mondays: 7 pm, Wyman's no. 5, 2037 E. 13th Ave.
Tuesdays: 7 pm, The Elm, 5001 E. Colfax Ave.
Wednesdays: 8 pm, The Irish Rover, 54 S. Broadway
Thursdays: 9 pm, Casey's Bistro and Pub, 7301 E. 29th Ave.
Saturdays: 7 pm, The Whiskey Bar, 2203 Larimer St.
Sundays: 7 pm, Goosetown Tavern, 3242 E. Colfax Ave.
For more locations, times, score reports, and updates, go to www.geekswhodrink.com.

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