BEER NUTS are a popular snack produced by a family-owned company in Illinois. The recipe for the sweet and savory peanut snack was inherited by the company and marketed to liquor stores. The snack grew in popularity and is now available nationwide in various forms and flavors. The term “beer nuts” is sometimes used to describe any communal nut served in bars.
BEER NUTS are popular snacks produced exclusively by the BEER NUTS company based in Bloomington, Illinois. The family-owned company can trace its roots back to the late 1930s, when a father and son team, Edward and Arlo Shirk, took over a small candy store in downtown Bloomington called the Caramel Crisp Shop. One of the recipes they inherited was for a sugar-and-salt glazed veal red peanut snack called “Redskins.” Redskins were often used as a free invitation for thirsty customers to buy the store’s famous homemade drinks.
The Shirks later marketed their sweet and savory peanut snacks to a local chain of liquor stores, which made their product’s first association with alcohol. A local beer distributor suggested that the Shirks rebrand their product BEER NUTS as a way to tap into the lucrative trade in beer and beer accessories. Packets of BEER NUTS were often made available to bar patrons as the perfect complement to the complex flavors of beer. Despite its unusual name, there are no real beers or ingredients in BEER NUTS.
Eventually BEER NUTS grew in popularity until the Shirks had no choice but to market their snacks nationwide. In addition to the original red peanuts, BEER NUTS are also found in almond or cashew form, each glazed with the original sweet and savory flavor or a variety of spice blends. The original variety of red peanuts still remains popular as a bar snack or party mix ingredient at tailgate parties and other festive occasions. BEER NUTS are also popular toppings for ice cream shops.
The BEER NUTS brand specifically refers to the snack product produced in the Bloomington factory by the Shirk family, but some use the term “beer nuts” to describe any form of nut served communally in bars and taverns. Bartenders often offer free savory snacks like nuts and popcorn to customers in an effort to build up thirst and sell more drinks. The extraordinary saltiness and sweetness of BEER NUTS makes it ideal for this purpose, although many people buy the snacks vacuum-packed at grocery stores and enjoy them at home.
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