At local pubs, Geeks Who Drink also think

FOR SA LIFE - Farelle Paternella, left, celebrates after defeating JD Barbera in a game of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots during trivia hosted by Geeks Who Drink at the Firehouse Pub & Grill on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. MICHAEL MILLER / FOR THE EXPRESS-NEWS less FOR SA LIFE - Farelle Paternella, left, celebrates after defeating JD Barbera in a game of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots during trivia hosted by Geeks Who Drink at the Firehouse Pub & Grill on Wednesday, Dec. ... more Photo: Michael Miller, San Antonio Express-News Photo: Michael Miller, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close At local pubs, Geeks Who Drink also think 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

Head to Southtown 101 bar at 101 Pereida St. on any given Monday night and you might be surprised to find a rambunctious crowd of know-it-alls.

Sitting in groups of no more than six, these self-described geeks focus on answering question after question on pop music, science, botany, legislature, and (of course) Star Trek. These are the trivia die-hards, or rather, Geeks Who Drink.

They're part of a growing trend of pub quiz nights housed in bars and restaurants across the city. A national bar trivia company based out of Denver, Geeks Who Drink came to San Antonio in August 2008 to test the Texas market. Since then, it has expanded here to six more bars, including all area Lion & Rose British Restaurant and Pubs, Firehouse Pub & Grill and Freetail Brewing Co.

Angela Christopher, a bartender at Southtown 101, says the quiz usually draws about 30 to 40 participants made up of bar regulars and participants who go specifically for Geeks Who Drink. Erica Trailor, an assistant manager at Freetail Brewing Co., where the quiz has been going on for at least six months, says the event has helped the bar's sales, even if the geeks don't always buy beer.

“Some of them come in and drink sodas ... order food and play the quiz,” Trailor said.

Nationally, Geeks Who Drink is played in more than 200 pubs and restaurants in 21 states.

While the number of pub quizzes in the States continues to grow, it pales in comparison to pub quizzes abroad.

John Dicker, founder and owner of Geeks Who Drink, says the U.S. is still cultivating a small quiz population of 2,500 weekly quizzes, as opposed to more than 20,000 weekly quizzes in the U.K.

Locally, Geeks Who Drink joins San Antonio Trivia League, a chapter of the national Challenge Entertainment, and Buzztime trivia, which also hold quiz nights in San Antonio.

How do Dicker and his quizmasters separate themselves from other trivia nights? They promise more rounds, more questions — this isn't trivia for the faint of heart.

A typical Geeks Who Drink quiz consists of eight eight-question rounds that include video, audio and visual segments.

Topics range from photography terminology, the Twilight Saga and hobbits to pop music and past secretaries of state. Recent rounds included “Three Hints on Three-Named Actors,” “Violin Versions,” “Middle Men,” “A Classy Round for a Classy Quiz,” “Psy, Kicks & Psychics.”

Dicker acknowledges that these quizzes aren't solely designed for the Dungeons & Dragons set.

“There's a difference of opinion on what's geeky and what's not,” Dicker said. “We can't have a whole quiz on code, World of Warcraft and Joss Whedon — there'd be 12 people (there) drinking Mountain Dew.”

Leading the quizzes for such a group requires a specific type of personality.

As quizmaster for Geeks Who Drink, Shane Fordyce has what it takes to control a room of rowdy nerds.

Fordyce, one of the five local quizmasters, describes himself as Type A, extroverted and attention-seeking. On a recent quiz night, Fordyce commanded the attention of 10 teams and quizzed them on topics ranging from the differences between Steven Spielberg and George Lucas and the latest Heisman Trophy winner.

Fordyce, a quizmaster since 2010, agrees that quizzes have to include a broad overview of topics. Some questions are cerebral; others are off-the-wall and (to the chagrin of self-described nerds) even sports-related.

“You don't want people to be discouraged,” Fordyce said.

Quiz participants range in age, and the gender divide favors men, if only slightly. Writing questions for a female base seems to be something Dicker and his quiz-writing team take seriously: Can you write questions that are female-friendly but aren't pandering?

For their part, female participants aren't making a fuss.

Amanda Kirk has been attending Geeks Who Drink for two years with fiancé Mitch Clem and friend Jose Muñoz. The friends balance each other's strengths — Kirk brings her literary prowess to the table, while Muñoz can handle music and Bible questions. Clem brings his neat handwriting.

Students Michelle Born, Vanessa Moore and J.D. Barbera use trivia nights as a hangout. They order a few appetizers and beers, talk between rounds and banter with Fordyce.

“Yeah, we're all geeks,” Born said. “We're not playing (World of Warcraft), but we do wear Star Wars shirts.”

The diverse demographic of geeks who attend these quiz nights will be evident Feb. 9 during Geek Bowl 7, held inside the Austin Musical Hall. The contest will see 100-plus teams of geeks come together for a night of trivia, live music rounds and even a dance number or two by quizmasters.

Dicker doesn't hesitate to point out an imbalance in where Texan teams are coming from.

“San Antonio is underrepresented. We get way more teams from Houston and Dallas,” Dicker said. “San Antonio needs to step up its game.”