Trivia night and craft beer draw crowds to Denizens Brewing

Written by: Sophia Tamayo 🇨🇴

Inside Denizens Brewing Co. (Denizens Brewing Co.)

Tucked just off Route 1 at 4550 Van Buren St., Denizens Brewing Co. sits at the heart of the Riverdale Park community, a short drive from the University of Maryland campus. The local, independent, locally owned craft brewery doubles as a restaurant and event space, and on any given evening, it lives up to that description.

Founded by Emily Bruno, Jeff Ramirez and Julie Verratti, Denizens has built its identity around handcrafted beer and scratch-made food, and the space reflects that neighborly ambition. The taproom features rotating drafts, local spirits and dog-friendly outdoor seating, making it a welcoming destination for families and regulars alike. 

Last Thursday evening, arriving at 7:15 p.m. for trivia night worked out perfectly for our group of eight. The taproom was filling up quickly, but there was still time to grab a table, browse the menu and get settled before the first question was called. The food menu, led by chef Shannan Troncoso, features shareable snacks, charcuterie, burgers, salads and more. All designed to pair with the brewery's craft beer selection. 

The weekly flatbread special did not disappoint. The buffalo chicken flatbread arrived topped with crispy pieces of chicken that still carried plenty of flavor, cherry tomatoes, green onions, buffalo sauce and ranch. The combination worked well: The buffalo sauce brought just enough heat to elevate the dish without overwhelming it, and the cooler ranch balanced the spice cleanly. 

The flatbread was sliced into eight pieces, a format that made it unexpectedly easy to share with a friend. It is a dish worth ordering again, though the other flatbreads are tempting.

The trivia night, run through Cap City Trivia, drew a lively crowd of teams ranging from trios to large groups. Players compete for weekly and seasonal prizes, and the competitive but laid-back atmosphere strikes a balance that makes the evening enjoyable whether a team dominates or finishes last.

Questions vary in category and format, meaning there is rarely a round where at least one member of a group does not know something. A particularly clever touch: The music playing between rounds serves as a hint toward upcoming answers, rewarding attentive listeners and adding an extra layer of engagement to the game.

The crowd itself spoke to the brewery's broad appeal. On trivia night, guests ranged from college-aged groups to families with older children, some competing seriously, others simply settled in with drinks and good conversation. The atmosphere was warm and unhurried, the kind of place where it is easy to lose track of time.

Beyond trivia, the brewery's calendar is packed with recurring programming, including a weekend brunch served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., a Silent Book Club that meets every second Sunday, and workshops through programs like Sip & Script.

Fundraisers for local organizations also appear regularly on the events page, reinforcing the brewery's community-first ethos.

From partnering with the University of Maryland to grow yeast strains to donating used grain to Maryland farmers and hosting fundraisers for local nonprofits, Denizens operates as a genuinely community-based brewery.

The beer lineup spans flagship, seasonal, specialty, sour and barrel-aged brews, with standouts like the Animal Hazy IPA and the Born Bohemian Pilsner, the latter of which earned a 96 "world class" rating from Craft Beer & Brewing.

For anyone in the College Park and Riverdale Park area looking for a spot that delivers on food, drink and a genuine sense of place, Denizens is difficult to beat. Trivia night alone is worth the trip, just arrive a little early.