Hops & Scotch

7001 Sunne Ln #100
Walnut Creek CA 94597
(925) 378-7980
  • PUB QUIZ—Mondays @ 6:00pm
About Hops & Scotch

Whisk(e)y originates from Gaelic for “water of life”. According to author David Broom, the Scots and Irish Gaelic translation of this is uisge beatha. This referred to a proto-whisk(e)y redistilled with spices and herbs and the straight version became known as 'usky'."

Now is it Whiskey or Whisky? In short, the spelling "whiskey" is common in the United States and Ireland. The rest of the world, including Japan, Scotland and Canada, uses "whisky."

Bourbon, Rye, Single Malts, Blends - they're all whisk(e)y. There is no one right way to drink all whisk(e)ys. Whether you drink it neat or on the rocks, whisk(e)y is one of America's most beloved spirits.  Enjoying this beverage is a personal journey that could easily change from week to week, day to day, drink to drink.

You'll find that many whisk(e)ys are greatly enhanced by ice, but you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least try the whiskey neat. Have you tried your Scotch with a few drops of mineral water?  A splash of water can be a great thing as it releases the hydrophobic elements in the glass, allowing you to detect more aromatics on the nose, and by lowering the alcohol content, it can allow you to taste more flavors on your palate.

At Hops & Scotch we have over 450 types of whisk(e)ys ranging from American Bourbon to Japanese Whisk(e)y.  Whether you like your rye neat or your Scotch with a drop of mineral water, or your bourbon with our ice spheres molded at the bar, Hops & Scotch is sure to have something to please your palate!

QUIZ RECAP

Mon Sep 21 2020
| by Quizmaster Paul Benson
|

Wow...six months without trivia! It was great to be back at Hops & Scotch, and other than the masks, it was like slipping into a comfortable pair of shoes.

The first few rounds were pretty rough for all the teams. Seems like not too many people in attendance were big MCU fans! The dynamic really shifted in the Guess Who round, with RBG Forever nailing the 10-pointer, and Calvin hitting the 6-pointer. But a couple of double or nothings in round 6 shook everything up, and suddenly Squirrel Squad jumped into the lead, with Latinas Unidas tying RBG Forever for second.

That remained through the end of the game, with Squirrel Squad taking first place for the night and second place had to be decided by the tiebreaker question. Latinas Unidas had a good guess, but RBG Forever nailed it...the sports fan on their team knew the exact answer.

Game Rank Team # Team Name Score Teams Beaten Team Beat Average
1 Squirrel Squad 34 4 1.000
2* RBG Forever 30 2 0.625
2 Latinas Unidas 30 2 0.625
4 Calvin 28 1 0.250
5 Backyard Bitches 14 0 0.000
* Won Tiebreaker

QUIZ RECAP

Mon Mar 9 2020
| by Quizmaster Paul Benson
|

It was a rollercoaster of a night for trivia! All of our registered teams started really strong, but gaps in knowledge started to show up as early as round 2. It was pretty clear from the picture round that only Preciate Cha, We Drink and We Know Things and CHBM were football fans. There were some good stumpers in the Guess Who round, but Preciate Cha was able to hold onto their lead. We Drink and We Know Things proved that they knew their airports, leaping ahead in round 6 with a double or nothing. They also proved that they knew nothing about the periodic table, clocking in zero points in the final round. However, Preciate Cha was unable to close the gap, and came in second behind them.

For the drinking round, I challenged everyone to come up with better ways to pass the CDC guidelines of spending 20 seconds washing your hands than singing "Happy Birthday" twice. Here are the best responses, each of which winning a gift card:

  • Shake my booty for 20 seconds
  • Count to 20 like a goddamn adult!
  • Sing "I'm too sexy for my cough"
  • List all people I had sex with in the last five years!
  • Recite the entire movie of Conan the Barbarian. Twice.
  • Think of all the people I'm going to touch while watching the water run.
  • Think about my longest sexual encounter...in real time.

Game Rank Team # Team Name Score Teams Beaten Team Beat Average
1 25462 We Drink and We Know Things 46 7 1.000
2 21760 Preciate Cha 42 6 0.857
3 24955 The Gay Agenda 32 5 0.714
4 CHBM 28 4 0.571
5 Beautiful Babies 20 3 0.429
6 24852 Maximum Effort 17 2 0.286
7 Kool Kids 14 1 0.143
8 21417 Unstable Unicorns 10 0 0.000
* Won Tiebreaker

QUIZ RECAP

Mon Mar 2 2020
| by Quizmaster Paul Benson
|

After a few rough weeks, Degens showed up determined to win tonight, and jumped early into the lead. They solidified that lead in round 2 with a double or nothing, but then started to struggle a bit, allowing other teams like Preciate Cha and Maximum Effort to gain ground. But Degens wasn't the only team struggling later in the game. Even though their lead narrowed, they maintained their hold on first, indeed winning tonight's contest.

For the drinking round, I asked everyone to write a haiku about tomorrow's Super Tuesday. Here's the winning entries:

  • Your vote, your voice now!/Bernie, Warren, Biden, who?/Survey says...no Trump.
  • Tuesdays are a fog/Embarrassing day for me/I hate all Tuesdays
  • The field starts to narrow/The nightmare is almost done/I'm just so tired
  • Fuck the President/I don't care who wins this round/Anyone will do
  • Different choices/Who will be victorious/Coronavirus

Game Rank Team # Team Name Score Teams Beaten Team Beat Average
1 24963 Degens 44 6 1.000
2 21760 Preciate Cha 39 5 0.833
3 24852 Maximum Effort 36 4 0.667
4 Brat Pack 29 2 0.417
4 Quizzie McGuire 29 2 0.417
6 Femme Fatale 28 1 0.167
7 24955 The Gay Agenda 16 0 0.000
* Won Tiebreaker