Mote’s Trivia Night at Florida Keys Brewing Company
For Sarasota, where the Gulf is both backdrop and livelihood, coral is not an abstract environmental cause.
By Edit Sarasota Staff
For Sarasota, where the Gulf is both backdrop and livelihood, coral is not an abstract environmental cause. It is part of the same living system that shapes our coastlines, supports fisheries, draws visitors and gives Florida its particular sense of place. On October 19, that connection travels south for an evening of beer, friendly competition and reef science at Mote’s Trivia Night at Florida Keys Brewing Company.
The format is simple: gather a team of clever friends, order a beer and put your coral knowledge to work. The questions may reward seasoned marine enthusiasts, but the evening is designed for anyone curious about the underwater world—from the biology of reef-building corals to the pressures facing them in a warming, changing ocean. With prizes on offer and no entry fee, the atmosphere promises to be more congenial than cutthroat: the kind of night when a wrong answer can still lead to a good conversation.
The event reflects the increasingly collaborative nature of conservation. Mote Marine Laboratory, founded in Sarasota in 1955, has grown into a nationally recognized center for marine research, education and restoration. Its work extends well beyond Sarasota Bay, including coral research and restoration in the Florida Keys, where scientists and restoration practitioners are helping rebuild damaged reef habitat and develop strategies for coral survival. Those efforts rely not only on laboratories and field sites, but also on public curiosity and support.
That makes a casual night at the brewery meaningful. A donation jar can become a small contribution to the larger, painstaking work of growing corals, restoring reef structure and learning which interventions might give these ecosystems a future. Just as important, trivia offers an accessible entry point into a subject that can otherwise feel remote or highly technical. A few hours over a pint can sharpen the connection between the Gulf Coast community and the reefs farther down the peninsula.
Mote’s Trivia Night takes place Monday, October 19, 2026, at Florida Keys Brewing Company, 81611 Old Hwy. The game is free to play, prizes will be awarded, and donations will benefit Mote’s coral reef research and restoration efforts in the Florida Keys.