TALEA Beer Company – Cobble Hill – Wednesdays @ 7 pm

The Trivia: This is an NYC Trivia League bar. There’s five rounds of 8-10 questions each, with a variety of different formats (audio, visual, traditional) and each round follows some kind of theme. The questions are often simple and straightforward, and lean heavily towards pop culture. There is also a larger proportion of sports questions at NYC Trivia League events than at almost any other Brooklyn trivia night you’ll find.

NYC Trivia League is by far the biggest trivia company in the city, with over 140 locations across the five boroughs. They have trivia nights pretty much everywhere and any day of the week. One of the main appeals of NYC Trivia League is that each team’s score is automatically entered into a leaderboard that tracks every team over every night across the entire city. It expands the scope of simple bar trivia into a multi-tiered competition with a championship at the end. This competition definitely favors teams that play each week, as the scores are cumulative, and if you play twice in one week, you end up getting the higher score, so I can see why this might appeal to trivia degenerates like myself.

This time, I had the chance to join in with a team that frequents TALEA and for whom the leaderboard is a massive draw. They acknowledged that, while the questions are not necessarily the most interesting, they are fair. They also said that, if not for the leaderboard, they probably would consider going to another bar. NYC Trivia League essentially comes with a built-in community, as it’s certainly amusing to peruse the leaderboards, comparing where your team stacks up overall, in the borough, and in your division. It’s fun to wonder what trivia titans might appear on some other team that plays at some other bar, and what the story might be behind their esoteric team name. The team never really comes close to the top of the leaderboards, but just appearing on there gives a sense of progress and accomplishment that keeps them coming back, even if they feel the trivia quality might be higher at some other bar.

The trivia overall is… mediocre. It’s not awful, but it’s nowhere close to great. There are some fun questions, some boring ones, but nothing will really surprise you. It’s the chain restaurant of trivia. You know what you’re gonna get, and you can get it pretty much anywhere. It even rewards you for coming often. And also, like many chains, some locations are simply better than others. The host at TALEA was the best NYC Trivia League host I’ve experienced. Gabe was funny, fast-paced, and bantered with the crowd. It’s rare for somebody who didn’t write the questions to sound so invested when reading them, but he brought it in each round. No technical difficulties, no awkwardly long breaks, just a solid performance overall.

But, for me, even an outstanding host who doesn’t write their own questions will fall short of the average host who has a personal connection to their material. While most trivia nights run by independent hosts won’t track your scores week to week, consistency and progress can come from other things. You can build rivalries with other regulars. You can actually compliment the host on a well-written round and it means something. Most hosts post their victors on Instagram for the world to see! And hosts: you can do more, too! Why not track team progress on a digital leaderboard? It can literally just be a Google sheet, which would only take a few minutes of your time to update it week to week.

In conclusion: if you’re at a bar with your friends, and suddenly NYC Trivia League starts, there’s no need to run for the door. It’s a fun time that won’t offend you, but it also won’t really inspire you. On the other hand, if you’re looking to find a regular trivia night and build a community, try an independent host near you. You won’t always know what to expect, but finding that perfect mix of host, question style, and community is worth the effort!

First place team gets a $50 gift card.

The Venue: TALEA Beer Co. is a brewery/pub that offers a wide variety of their own beers on tap and tasting flights, as well as a fridge of cans and bottles. It’s an Eden for beer lovers. There are snacks and charcuterie, but if you want a meal, you’ll have to order a pizza from across the street. The taproom is spacious, with tons of space and an upper level, as well as tables outside.