Trig’s - Eagle River

June 11, 2007
I met the beverage department manager at Trig’s during the Great Northern Beer Festival, and decided to cap off my visit to Eagle River with a stop at Trig’s. They had a very nice selection of bottled beer for a grocery store, and even had a shelf of 12 ounce singles, which I thought rather unusual for a non-liquor store. I was most pleasantly surprised at their focus on Wisconsin area crafts. While I did not find Lake Louie in this store, they did stock most of Central Waters’ line-up, in addition to Southshore and some other brewers I’d never heard of (I bought some 22 oz bottles from Hereford & Hops, which I’d never heard of). All the other usual craft/import suspects were present as well...and there was of course the omnipresent big packs of BMC although the majority of the cooler space was dedicated to high-end beer. I didn’t engage the help...the one guy working seemed knowledgeable but an older gentleman was taking his time. Prices seemed reasonable. Your beer-buying options are limited in Eagle River, and they are lucky to have this as an option.

August 24, 2006
Trig’s is a mid-sized regional grocery store, part of a chain of 4 in the north woods of Wisconsin, with an astonishingly good selection for such a low-population-density area. Special releases from Capital, New Glarus and Tyranena in quantity when I visited in late July, most of the significant Wisconsin micros, a small singles selection and a fair number of Germans and some odds and ends makes for a nice change from the typical 30-pack-heavy stores in the area. Service was surprisingly knowledgeable and helpful, too -- the clerk pointed me towards an upcoming beer festival and could name most of the brewers attending!