The Wizarding World of Butterbeer and How to Make Your Own Ancient Buttered Beere

Butterbeer, the bubbly, butterscotch-flavored drink from the Harry Potter series, is related in name only to buttered beere, a 16th century English drink made from beer boiled with egg, sweet spices, and butter. Fans of J.K. Rowling’s books may be interested in creating non-alcoholic and alcoholic versions of butterbeer, which can be served hot, cold or frozen. In Rowling’s books, witches and wizards of all ages enjoy butterbeer in restaurants like The Three Broomsticks.

More adventurous beer enthusiasts can attempt making buttered beere at home. A beer with roasted notes such as an English ale or Imperial Stout serves as a good base. Kriek, a sour cherry Belgian beer, is another option. Yet Universal Studios’ butterbeer may be far superior to buttered beere, said Denny Conn, author of “Simple Homebrewing: Great Beer, Less Work, More Fun” and co-host of the Experimental Brewing podcast.

“The fat used in a buttered beere recipe, whether it’s vegan or real butter, is likely to give the drink a greasy mouthfeel. In addition, heating up the beer drives off the CO2. English ales already have low carbonation. The idea works much better as a concept,” said Conn.

Also the added “e” in “buttered beere” comes from the Old English language, when the beverage was first invented.

Butterbeer at Universal Studios

Universal Studios began offering butterbeer in 2010, when the first “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” opened in Orlando. Since then, it has sold over 20 million servings of the drink. Yet Universal started developing the beverage all the way back in 2007. Universal Orlando corporate executive chef Steve Jayson, who came up with the recipe, said it took him three years and approximately 16 tries to get the taste right. J.K. Rowling also had to give her official approval.

The sweet, fizzy, cold version of butterbeer tastes like cream soda with shortbread and butterscotch. It can be topped with whipped cream but does not actually contain any dairy products. According to Jayson , a small cold butterbeer contains fewer calories than a 12-ounce soda. It is made with pure sugar, not corn syrup. Guests can order it in a cup or souvenir tankard. Frozen butterbeer is a slushy version of the cold beverage. Hot butterbeer is a thick and creamy butterscotch-flavored drink.

Butterbeer has proven to be so popular that Universal Studios has developed several butterbeer-flavored treats. These include butterbeer fudge, butterbeer soft serve ice cream, hard-packed butterbeer ice cream and butterbeer potted cream, a dessert that is slightly less sweet than butterscotch pudding. The drink has also inspired baristas, bartenders and pastry chefs throughout the U.S. Beyond Universal’s gates, diners can enjoy butterbeer cappuccinos, cocktails, cupcakes, doughnuts, floats, lattes, snow cones and whipped cream around the country at enterprising businesses.

Universal Studios keeps the recipe for butterbeer utterly secret. Fans who are interested in making butterbeer at home should have several key ingredients, including cream soda, heavy cream and butterscotch syrup. Optional ingredients include plain seltzer, caramel syrup, whipped cream, vanilla extract, rum extract, butter, salt and butter extract.

The basic steps for creating the cold version of the drink are:

Combine cream soda, heavy cream and butterscotch syrup in a bowl.

The ratio for one small cold butterbeer is 12 ounces cream soda to ¾ cup heavy cream to two teaspoons butterscotch syrup.

The drink can be made richer with melted butter or lighter with plain seltzer. Do not use a mixer or blender. This causes the drink to lose carbonation.

Add butter extract, rum extract, salt and vanilla extract to taste.
Gently pour the drink into a chilled mug.
Top the drink with a whipped topping like whipped cream, a non-dairy whipped topping or sweet foam. Drizzle the whipped topping with butterscotch, caramel or vanilla syrup.

A cook can make butterbeer alcoholic by adding bourbon, butterscotch liqueur (aka butterscotch schnapps), rum, scotch, plain vodka, vanilla vodka or whiskey. A frozen butterbeer recipe usually involves freezing the cream soda, plain seltzer or heavy cream into ice cubes. The cook then blends these with the other ingredients. Alternatively, the cook can use vanilla ice cream in place of cubes of heavy cream.

A hot butterbeer recipe can involve warming milk or a non-dairy substitute like soy milk or coconut milk with butterscotch sauce. The cook can make hot butterbeer alcohol-free with cream soda or alcoholic with one of the alcoholic beverages named above. The cook then tops the heated beverage with a whipped topping.

Universal Studios serves butterbeer with English pub fare like shepherd’s pie, Cornish pasties and fish and chips, though healthier substitutes could also be prepared.

Make Old World Buttered Beere at Home

Conn said a cook who wants to make buttered beere should consider using a sweeter beer. That way they can add little to no sugar. If they do not enjoy sweet beer, the cook can use a beer that’s a bit heavier, such as Trappistes Rochefort, a quadrupel from Brasseries de Rochefort. Other options include Old Speckled Hen, a malty, fruity beer from Greene King. Redhook beers that contain diacetyl, a rich, buttery compound, are another good choice.

“A Kriek would work because a sour beer could take the sugar. If you were brewing a beer to make buttered beere with yourself, you could avoid having to add butter if the beer contained diacetyl. Be careful, since the buttery taste is usually an off flavor. Yeast throws diacetyl when it ferments hops,” said Conn.

Conn said a homebrewer should cut back on the hop load if wanting to make butterbeer from their brew. That way the beer will be sweeter.

“The goal is to get the beer in the 12 to 15 international bittering unit (IBU) range,” said Conn.

The next step of making buttered beere involves adding melted butter or vegan butter.

“In the final three to five minutes, a cook should boil the beer with spices, including nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Be conservative with these. You can always add more,” said Conn.

It’s important not to overcook the drink.

“If you boil raw ginger for too long, it can lose that fresh taste. You may have to experiment so you get heat without a ‘woody’ taste,” said Conn.

A cook looking for a buttered beere recipe should consult historical resources like “The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin,” a cookbook that dates back to 1594. The cook will need to make adjustments to approximate amounts such as “a penniworth of nutmegs beaten.”

Buttered beere should be served hot. It is likely to pair well with light, crispy dishes.

“Avoid fried foods. Try vegetarian options like carrot sticks. They’re not so much a pairing as an antidote,” joked Conn.

Conn said there are alternatives for Harry Potter fans who want a real caramel-flavored beer.

“Go for something malty and not very bitter. I recommend a Wee Heavy, a British pale ale or an herbaceous pale ale.” said Conn.