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What are Beer Nuts?

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

BEER NUTS® are popular snack foods produced exclusively by the BEER NUTS® company based in Bloomington, Illinois. The family-owned company can trace its history back to the late 1930s, when a father and son team, Edward and Arlo Shirk, assumed control of a small candy shop in downtown Bloomington called the Caramel Crisp Shop. One of the recipes they inherited was for a sugar-and-salt glazed redskin peanut snack called "Redskins." Redskins were often used as a free enticement for thirsty customers to purchase the shop's popular homemade beverages.

The Shirks later marketed their sweet and salty peanut snacks to a local chain of liquor stores, which created the first association between their product and alcohol. A local beer distributor suggested the Shirks rename their product BEER NUTS® as a way to tap into the lucrative beer and beer accessories trade. Packages of BEER NUTS® were often made available to bar customers as a perfect complement to the complex flavors of beer. Despite its unusual name, there is no actual beer or beer ingredients in BEER NUTS®.

BEER NUTS® are served as a complimentary snack food to beer.
BEER NUTS® are served as a complimentary snack food to beer.

Eventually BEER NUTS® grew in popularity until the Shirks had little choice but to market their snacks nationally. Besides the original redskin peanuts, BEER NUTS® can also be found in almond or cashew form, each glazed with the original sweet and salty flavor or a variety of spicy blends. The original redskin peanut variety 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 sundaes.

Beer Nuts are often consumed in bar and party settings.
Beer Nuts are often consumed in bar and party settings.

The trademarked BEER NUTS® refers specifically 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 frequently offer free salty snacks such as nuts and popcorn to customers in an effort to increase thirst and sell more beverages. The unique saltiness and sweetness of BEER NUTS® makes it ideal for this purpose, although many people buy the snacks in vacuum-sealed packages at grocery stores and enjoy them at home.

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular DelightedCooking contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular DelightedCooking contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

Leonidas226

@TrogJoe19

A lot of people have extreme allergies to nuts and are fatally affected by consuming a nut of any kind. For these people, I think that vegetarianism is not an option.

TrogJoe19

Nuts provide an excellent source of protein and are a great alternative to meats in meals of many kinds. They are a good foundational diet item that should be a regular part of everyone's general diet.

GigaGold

@Armas1313

A catchy name adds a lot to a product, but I would argue that generally, it is the novelty concept of a product that really causes it to take off in a big way. This is certainly a solid example of a case in which the name made the bank, however.

Armas1313

It's amazing how powerful a name can be. Here we see an example of someone who simply changed the name of a product without significantly altering the product itself, and it was an instant smash hit. Inserting the name of another popular item can help a business to ride the wave of success brought on by that item.

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    • BEER NUTS® are served as a complimentary snack food to beer.
      By: Minerva Studio
      BEER NUTS® are served as a complimentary snack food to beer.
    • Beer Nuts are often consumed in bar and party settings.
      By: Kzenon
      Beer Nuts are often consumed in bar and party settings.
    • Some bars feature sweet-and-salty BEER NUTS® during happy hour.
      By: BRAD
      Some bars feature sweet-and-salty BEER NUTS® during happy hour.
    • Beer nuts have a close association with alcohol, as they were once marketed to a chain of liquor stores.
      By: Nomad_Soul
      Beer nuts have a close association with alcohol, as they were once marketed to a chain of liquor stores.