QuizList

Guest editor ‘Grecian’ takes you through the St Albans pub quiz scene.  Comments and listings are based on June 2011.
North London’s excellent pub quizzes are one of the things I really miss, having moved out to St Albans about a year ago.  St Albans is famously well-served for pubs, many of which do quizzes – so there are no shortage of options to choose from.  In quality terms, though, it’s fair to say that it doesn’t really measure up to the north London scene.  The Redtooth format predominates and there are few with much degree of originality (although the music quizzes at the Mermaid and Old Speckled Hen are both pretty good if you like that kind of thing).  But for those of you wishing to sample the St Albans quiz scene, I’d recommend the Goat on Sunday night, and Ye Old Fighting Cocks on Thursday night.
The below is a list of St Albans quizzes I am aware of – there may be some others I haven’t discovered yet, of course!
Grecian

SUNDAY
Goat Inn, Sopwell Lane, AL1 – Redtooth quiz, although using the higher-quality 40 question format rather than the multi-themed round format.  Cash prizes for first and second and there may have been a bottle of wine for third.  Snowball of a lucky guess nature.
King William IV, Sandridge Road, AL1 – Ember Inns pub with Redtooth quiz (the multi-themed format this time!)  Well attended quiz, with close scoring at the top: last time we were there the top scores were e.g. 43, 43, 43, 42, 42, 41, 41, 41.  The barman made the 41s play off for third prize, the 42s for second, and the 43s for first, which meant that some lower-scoring teams topped some higher-scoring ones.  Cash prize, no snowball.

 
MONDAY
King Harry, King Harry Lane, AL3 – multi-themed Redtooth format in a quirky pub just out of city centre.  Quite a local atmosphere.  Pub website says (wrongly) that quiz is on Tuesday, so check before setting out
Hare and Hounds, Sopwell Lane, AL1 -  I only attended once.  Questions including a music round consisting of “tracks off my iPod” which was desperately hard.  Very high winning score.  Most food options were off and all six real ales finished by Monday night, not to be replenished until Thursday…
Old Speckled Hen, Hatfield Road, AL4 – been once: quite good questions and a cash prize if I recall.

 
TUESDAY
Jolly Sailor, Stonecross, AL1 – was one of those quizzes supplied by the Telegraph when I visited.  Questions may have been a bit easy for hardened quizzers.  Nice pub and quite friendly atmosphere though.  I recall some sort of Play Your Cards Right game, but there seems to be a cash prize for the quiz also.
Mermaid, Hatfield Road, AL1 – music quiz run by well-known music quiz doyen Jon Kutner who does a variety of quizzes north of London and also writes books.  Multi-round name the tune with some other gimmicks (similar format - although different quizmaster – to Thursday at Old Speckled Hen, see below).
Rose and Crown, St Michael’s Street, AL3 – general knowledge quiz with cash prize.  Not been, but the wife has several times, and quite enjoyed it.

 
WEDNESDAY
King William IV, Sandridge Road, AL1 – second quiz of the week for this Ember Inns pub.  Presumably another Redtooth although not been so cannot comment.
Lower Red Lion, Fishpool Street, AL3 – not been for a little while, but was one of those bingo quiz efforts with each individual player having bingo type sheets last time I looked – the questions are not at all bad.  Mainly food and drink prizes (including a big tub of sweets!) with a low-likelihood rollover prize building up slowly.  Starts 9pm.
Portland Arms, Portland Street, AL3 – decent general knowledge quiz in back street locals’ pub.  About sixty or so questions of a good standard, plus picture and music rounds.  Cash prize.  No snowball.  Starts 9pm.
White Hart Tap, Keyfield Terrace, AL1 – solid quiz at local’s pub.  Forty general knowledge questions (I think sponsored by Carling or somebody) plus a picture round.  High standard.  Cash prize.  9pm start.