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.
