Photo: Alex Dittmar, head brewer at Airways, and Clark Bowen of CB’s Nuts
CB’s peanuts, pistachios, and pumpkin seeds are a favorite snack to go with a pint of beer in our Tap Room. A few weeks ago, Alex and I took a ferry over to Kingston to visit CB’s Nuts and check out their roasting facility. We got the full tour from Clark Bowen, the CB in CB’s Nuts.
My first thought was, there is no way they produce so much out of such a small space. Sure enough, CB’s is expanding, and all production will soon be moved to another site. They have big plans for turning the current building, which they’ve been operating out of since 2006, into a larger retail space for customers. Can’t wait to see that! As we were talking, several people came in with buckets, filled them up with peanuts, and took them home. Just like growlers for peanuts.
So what makes CB’s nuts so good? First of all, they are roasted in small batches with great care. Second is that perfect level of saltiness. Clark explained that they use an uncommon brining process. This gives the nuts a lighter saltiness.
Similar to what breweries do with spent grain, after processing, the high protein nut waste is picked up and used for feed on farms. The shells are bagged up and sent for manufacturing insulation.
As we were leaving, we got a chance to check out their original Kingdome dugout. Clark’s love for peanuts started with baseball, and what goes better with beer than peanuts and baseball? If you are over in Kingston, be sure to stop by CB’s and check out their store (and dugout).
Cheers!
-Dione
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