Trivia Fuel Quiz

Every quizmaster needs some coffee, beer, tea, or cider to help the brain juices flow. But how much do you really know about these beverages? Check out our first official 2017 full trivia quiz and test your knowledge. Just click on the beverages above.

For the first official quiz of 2017 I decided to do a quiz on the fuel that drives the quizmasters and the players – coffee, tea, beer and cider…sorry wine lovers. Enjoy!

Round 1

The coffee round

  1. What are the two most popular types of coffee beans? – Arabica and Robusta
  2. What year was the instant coffee, Nescafe, released onto the market? – 1938
  3. Coffee beans come from which plant? – Coffea
  4. What widely consumed drug acts as a natural defence to protect the seeds of the coffee plant? – Caffeine
  5. Which modern-day country is often considered as the birthplace of coffee? – Yemen
  6. What chemical reaction during roasting is chiefly responsible for giving green coffee beans their flavor? – Maillard Reaction
  7. Which popular method of brewing coffee requires the beans to be ground to a powder? – Turkish
  8. What method of coffee preparation requires the beans to be ground as coarsely as possible? – Cold brew
  9. What year was the French Press first patented? – 1929
  10. What year was the AeroPress invented? – 2005

Tie breaker – What is an Affogato? – Gelato, or ice cream, topped with hot espresso 

Round 2

The beer round

  1. Zymology, also known as zymurgy, is the study of what? – Fermentation
  2. What are the four primary ingredients in beer? – Malt, hops, yeast, water
  3. Which beer was advertised as “Probably the best beer in the world.” in the 1970s? – Carlsberg
  4. What fruit are Kriek lambics made with? – Cherries
  5. What is Homer Simpson’s beer of choice? – Duff
  6. What types of beer are usually used in the making of a Black and Tan? – Pale lager and stout
  7. To make beer, what is barley normally made into? – Malt
  8. How many Imperial gallons would a firkin of beer contain? – Nine
  9. What does a Tegestologist collect? – Beer coasters
  10. In the beer industry, what does the abbreviation O.G. stand for? – Original gravity

Tie breaker – What type of cherries are used for Kriek lambics? – Sour Morello

Round 3

The tea round

  1. What year did the Boston Tea Party take place? – 1773
  2. What popular tea is named after an 1830’s United Kingdom Prime Minister? – Earl Grey tea
  3. What fruit oil is added to tea to create Earl Grey tea? – Bergamot
  4. In “Alice in Wonderland”, who did Alice see taking tea under a tree? – Mad Hatter and March Hare
  5. Who created the Lipton tea brand? – Thomas Lipton
  6. How many milliliters is a teaspoon? – 5 mL
  7. What tea is used typically used to make a London Fog? – Earl Grey tea
  8. What customary vessel is used for consuming yerba mate? – A gourd
  9. What province in China does Pu-erh tea originate from? – Yunnan
  10. What was the original purpose of tea bags in the western world? – To store small samples of tea

Tie breaker – What mass market tea brand shares a name with an English brewery? – Tetley

Round 4

The cider round

  1. Under what name is Bulmers cider sold outside of Ireland? – Magners
  2. What important property do cider apples have that most eating and cooking apples don’t? – High sugar content
  3. What year was Lasse Hallstrom’s film “The Cider House Rules” released? – 1999
  4. What name is shared between a 2nd Earl of Pembroke and an English cider? – Strongbow
  5. Who said “He that drinks his cider alone, let him catch his horse alone.”? – Benjamin Franklin
  6. What is the name of the weak alcoholic cider that is made from the solid remains of the pressed apples? – Ciderkin
  7. Which American colonial beverage was produced by freeze-distilling cider throughout the cold winter months? – Applejack
  8. The Somersby cider brand is owned by which multinational brewing company? – Carlsberg
  9. In the North American market, what is the difference between hard and sweet cider? – Hard cider is alcoholic while sweet cider is not
  10. If you order a Snakebite cocktail in the UK, what would you get? – A mix of lager and cider

Tie breaker – What French beverage is made by mixing apple juice with apple brandy and aging it in barrels? – Pommeau

Round 5

  1. What is Kahlua flavored with? – Coffee
  2. Where did Thomas Lipton open his first grocery store? – Glasgow, Scotland
  3. In the beer world, what does the abbreviation F.G. stand for? – Final gravity
  4. What company’s tea shipment was destroyed during the Boston Tea Party in 1773? – East India Company
  5. What popular French apple brandy is made by distilling cider made from selected apples? – Calvados
  6. How is a Long black coffee different from an Americano? – The espresso is poured on top of the hot water, instead of before
  7. Who wrote the essay “A Nice Cup of Tea”? – George Orwell
  8. What year was Strongbow cider introduced to the market? – 1962
  9. What country does Cafe au lait originate from? – France
  10. What style of beer is used to make a “Black Velvet” cocktail? – Stout

Tie breaker – What is champagne substituted with to turn a “Black Velvet” cocktail into a “Poor Man’s Black Velvet” cocktail? – Cider

Round 6

  1. Above 5,000 ft, coffee beans tend to develop a high level of what? – Acidity
  2. At what popular Seattle market did Starbucks open its first store in 1971? – Pike Place
  3. Which empire gave the world the Pilsner? – Austrian Empire
  4. What is the thin layer of foam on top of an espresso called? – Crema
  5. What fruits are fermented to make Perry? – Pears
  6. What continent does yerba mate originates from? – South America
  7. Who was Strongbow cider named after? – Richard de Clare
  8. What country does the cappuccino originate from? – Italy
  9. What are the four primary ingredients of a traditional Irish coffee? – Irish whisky, coffee, sugar and cream
  10. What is typically added to Vietnamese iced coffee to sweeten it? – Sweetened condensed milk

Tie breaker – What is Cask ale sometimes referred to as in the UK? – Real ale

Round 7

  1. Which Bohemian city gave us the Pilsner? – Pilsen
  2. What color is pure caffeine? – White
  3. Who is credited with inventing the AeroPress? – Alan Adler
  4. How much larger is UK pint compared to the US pint? – About 20%, or 95 mL
  5. What do you ferment to make kombucha? – Sweetened tea
  6. What 1960’s film with Michael Caine is often credited with aiding to the popularity of the French Press? – The Ipcress File
  7. In a Cortado, what is the main purpose of the milk? – To reduce the acidity of the coffee
  8. What dialect term describes rough cider made from unselected apples? – Scrumpy
  9. What are the main ingredients in a Cafe Cubano? – Espresso and demerara sugar
  10. In English-speaking countries, what is Rauchbier typically referred to as? – Smoked beer

Tie breaker – In the beer world, what does the abbreviation IBU stand for? – International Bitterness Units

New Comics Day Trivia – 11 Questions on “The Creators”

Hello and welcome to another instalment of the New Comics Day trivia round. This week the trivia round is on the comic book creators…the writers, the artists, the inkers, the publishers, the people who are overshadowed by their own creations. Why? Because I drove by Joe Shuster Way not too long ago. Enjoy!

Hello and welcome to another instalment of the New Comics Day trivia round. This week the trivia round is on the comic book creators…the writers, the artists, the inkers, the publishers, the people who are overshadowed by their own creations. Why? Because I drove by Joe Shuster Way not too long ago. Enjoy!


  1. Which DC Comics character is Joe Shuster best known for co-creating? – Superman
  2. Who was Joe’s co-creator for this popular DC Comics character? – Jerry Siegel
  3. Comic book writer and artist Jack Kirby, was given what name at birth? – Jacob Kurtzberg
  4. Marvel Comics was acquired by which major media and entertainment company in 2009? – The Walt Disney Company
  5. Alan Moore co-created which antihero that first appeared in an 1985 issue of “The Saga of the Swamp Thing”? – John Constantine
  6. Which producer on the TV show “Lost” co-created the comic book series “Y: The Last Man”? – Brian K. Vaughan
  7. What company publishes “The Walking Dead” comic book series? – Image Comics
  8. What year did Frank Miller publish the comic book series “300”? – 1998
  9. The “Eisner Award” is named after which influential cartoonist and writer? – Will Eisner
  10. Art Spiegelman is best known for his creation of which graphic novel? – Maus

Tie-breaker: In which North American city would you find Joe Shuster Way? – Toronto


Until next round!

Trivia Tuesday – 11 questions on Friday the 13th

This Friday is a special one. It will be Friday, January 13, 2017…or simply, Friday the 13th. I put together a short trivia round to mark the occasion. Feel free to use these questions for your trivia nights, or enjoy this round as a short trivia quiz.

This Friday is a special one. It will be Friday, January 13, 2017…or simply, Friday the 13th. I put together a short trivia round to mark the occasion. Feel free to use these questions for your trivia nights, or enjoy this round as a short trivia quiz.


  1. What is the fear of the number 13 known as? – Triskaidekaphobia
  2. At most, how many Friday the 13th can there be in the same calendar year? – 3
  3. Which famous rapper died on Friday, September 13, 1996? – Tupac Shakur
  4. What is the name of the avenue that lies between 12th and 14th Avenue in San Francisco? – Funston Avenue
  5. What is the more common name for the 1987 computer virus that was set to go off on Friday the 13th of every year? – Jerusalem
  6. Which famous pop star considers the number 13 to be her lucky number? – Taylor Swift
  7. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born on Friday, January 13, of what year? – 1961
  8. The plane carrying what country’s national rugby team crashed on Friday, October 13, 1972? – Uruguay’s
  9. Who met in groups of 13, also called covens? – Witches
  10. What year was the original film “Friday the 13th” released? – 1980

Tie-breaker: “Friday the 13th motorcycle rally” is held on every Friday the 13th in what Canadian city? – Port Dover


Image credit: Giphy