How the Salted Nut Roll Became the Beer Industry's Unofficial Candy Bar | VinePair

Illustration: Gerry Selian

It’s perfectly understandable if you’ve never heard of the Salted Nut Roll. In 1933, Pearson’s Candy Company, in St. Paul, Minn., introduced the log-shaped confection as a low-cost replacement meal, a salty-sweet blend of vanilla nougat encased in caramel and protein-packed roasted peanuts. The regional candy is primarily sold in the Midwest, especially at Ace Hardware stores.

But thanks to BSG, which sells supplies to the brewing industry, the Salted Nut Roll has become the brewing industry’s favorite candy bar, inspiring sweet devotion and even beers too. For VinePair, I take a peek into the cult of the Salted Nut Roll.