Trivia games give everybody the chance to clean out the dusty corners of their brains. They also put a spotlight on the Mr. Smarty-Pants among us. It's especially fun to head to the bar for some trivia, if only to see just how many questions you can answer correctly after a few pints.

For you trivia lovers out there, your choices are no longer limited to The Old Toad (Mondays at 9:30 p.m., Sundays at 9 p.m.; 277 Alexander St) and Mex (Tuesdays at 10 p.m.; 295 Alexander St). You can also head over to Lovin Cup (300 Park Point Dr) on Mondays at 9 p.m. for a trivia night with real game-show podiums, or to Champps (819 Eastview Mall) on Wednesdays, when the sports bar hosts "Quizzo" from 8 to 10 p.m., and offers drink specials and prizes.

Holiday party at Muther's

Dress up and warm up next week at Muther's (40 S. Union St) during the "Deck the Halls" holiday party on Thursday, December 18. There'll be songs, spoken word, drag, and door prizes 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $5 in advance, and $7 at the door. Proceeds are to benefit Tawa Pano Unity Fellowship Church Community Ministries. Call 568-8391, or visit tawapanoufc@aim.com for more info.

Beer tasting at Lovin' Cup

If you love beer - especially if you go beyond guzzling it, and truly appreciate the color, flavor, even scent - you might want to head over to Lovin Cup (300 Park Point Drive) on Wednesday, December 10, for "Brew ha-ha," a beer tasting event. It'll feature a guided tour by brewer Bruce Lish, who'll take you through six different Rohrbach beers with food pairings. The $10 ticket includes food and drink, and costs only $8 if you're an RIT student or faculty member. Call 292-9940, or visit lovincup.com for more info.

Southwedge "Mistletoe Mingle"

This Southwedge get-together is a pub crawl with a purpose: pick up a playing card from five of the crawl's stops (the South Wedge Colony, Solera, Lux, Beale Street, Tap & Mallet, The Keg, and Caverly's), and at the end of the crawl - that'd be 10:30 p.m. at Caverly's - the best poker hand wins a gift basket of Wedge items, including two free tickets to "Swing in the New Year" at the German House. While you're bar-hopping, School 12 kids will be caroling along South Avenue and Gregory streets. The Mistletoe Mingle happens on Thursday, December 18, and starts at 7 p.m. at the South Wedge Colony. For more information, call 305-4354, or email chris@historichouseparts.com.

Platinum Lounge closes

The Southwedge lounge and bar opened this past May at the corner of Gregory and S. Clinton, but its windows have already gone dark. Platinum was located in the space that used to be Kim's Asia. "For rent" signs now appear in the windows.

Got a tip for our Nightlife writer? Send it to jgraney@rochester-citynews.com.