Redhook Ale's flagship brewery is located in "rural" Woodinville, next door to the Herbfarm and across 145th Street from Chateau Ste. Michelle winery. Fairly remote from other trivia venues, the brewery is nonetheless easily accessible to Bothell- and Redmond-area walkers and cyclists via the Sammamish River Trail, and from Seattle via Metro's route 252.

Forecasters Pub, the drinking and dining establishment at the brewery, is a large, open restaurant with a big outdoor seating area that's open during the summer. An attached souvenir shop sells Redhook T-shirts, glasses, and assorted swag. All ages are welcome. The food, from what Redhook describes as a "light, pub-style menu," is tolerable, though Forecasters' lack of a deep fryer is a frequent sore point in our group (burgers without fries? Unthinkable!). Of course, the real draw is the beer selection, drawn from Redhook's line of ales, including seasonal offerings. If you show up expecting to order a Michelob, you'll be disappointed, as well you should be.

Tuesday night trivia is hosted by the redoubtable Fred Northup, who also hosts trivia events at Finn MacCool's in the University District. The format is roughly the same at all three venues: eight rounds of five questions each, with each round having its own theme. Questions are moderately hard and run the gamut from history and science to popular culture. The last round is typically a music round, in which parts of songs are played and players must guess the artist or title. Teams in the bottom half of the standings after four rounds are eligible for the "J-V" prize, the winner of which receives a free pitcher of your beverage of choice. The public address system puts the outdoor diners in the game. Quiz night is incredibly well attended (a contest we attended in June had 30 teams participating!), and tables are often at a premium; during the winter, when the outdoor seating area is closed, arriving an hour before the start time doesn't guarantee you'll get a table. (Part of the grand prize each week is a reserved table for your team next week, a practice we wish other places would adopt.) 6/06

Note: If you are planning to hold a table, on trivia night a group can not be seated until half of your party has arrived. 1/07