The TRUTH About Alcohol in Butter Beer | Harry Potter Film Theory

[@13SScorpio]

As a german this is funny, as you are able to legally buy any non distilled alcoholic beverage at 16 (14 with parents consent). Maybe thats why the wizarding worlds use of alcohol never seemed weird to me xD

[@mauer1]

That's basically it don't forget wizards are adults with 17 so we could go lower with those ages aswell.

[@CharlesOffdensen]

Is it coincidence that Germany is in top 5 of the world of alcohol consumption per capita? I think it actually is, because almost all countries in the top 10 are European and they all have a little bit stricter laws than Germany. The laws are consequence of the drinking culture more, than they are the cause of it.

[@ThreadBomb]

Britain, being largely Anglo-Saxon in culture, is probably similar to Germany in this and other ways.

[@lenastorm6280]

Same. Greetings from Austria.

[@neptuneplaneptune3367]

Same

[@Jack-iu7pw]

As an 18 year old British student I can assure you that the drinking inside Harry Potter is pretty normal for the UK. Anyone can drink in private premises from 5 years old as long as they have parental supervision (most parents will only let kids aged 13+ drink small amounts of alcohol, 16+ they'll let them have stronger stuff). The idea behind this is for parents to teach kids how to drink maturely and responsibly so they don't go and get blackout drunk at university every week like happens to a lot of young adults in the US. 16+ kids can even have an alcoholic drink with a meal at a pub if they're with their parents. Most 16-17 year olds engage in some form of social drinking with their friends once or twice during the school year. Teaching kids how to drink alcohol properly seems to have worked here because kids get to have a good time at 16 and they don't end up getting alcohol poisoning at 20 years old because it's been kept away from them for so long and they have no idea how to drink.

[@bridgeburner909]

I dunno, I was in the rugby squad - getting black out drunk in the clubhouse after a match was where the real competition happened and was almost more important than the actual match. Skulling pints is a noble sport haha

[@Jack-iu7pw]

@@bridgeburner909 I've only gone blackout once and I did not find it fun lol. Waking up the next day having no idea how you got home is a really strange feeling.

[@bridgeburner909]

@@Jack-iu7pw at least you got home! Now I'm in my 30s the idea of getting that battered makes me recoil. I'm comparatively tame and don't really drink unless I'm at a festival haha

[@FacelessonaThrone]

Gotta say, I think you may have it right, us Americans really don’t know how to drink and you may be right. Good idea to you!

[@bruhdon4748]

One thing I’ll say, being allowed to drink from a young age caused me to stop drinking sooner than most people, I practically stopped drinking at 17 largely in part to finding cannabis but I got drinking out of my system by time I was 19 & haven’t really got drunk since, have had 1-3 times I’ve got drunk and I’m 27 now, every now and then I’ll have a cider or two more for the taste than anything but that’s super rare, Americans don’t get to drink right up until 21 and it’s largely frowned upon to drink underage from what I’ve heard over there & so by time they do get to 21 they’re practically alcoholics and end up in hospital by time they’re 22, just can’t handle it.

[@SweetCuttlefish-AshleyE]

The "Is this wizard culture or British culture" conundrum strikes again 🤣🤣

[@jazallison8606]

I was sure this was an actual phenomenon. Thanks for putting words to it

[@BecauseImBatmanFilms]

You ever wonder if the Yule Ball was originally going to be older students only but when Harry got chosen they changed the cut off to 4th year because Harry?

[@Josh.Jackiewiecz]

Nope. The school supply list sent out during the summer indicated that all fourth years and above needed to have dress robes- specifically for the yule ball. So it must be assumed that the cut off was going to be the same either way. Great thought process tho!

[@beatthis101]

@@Josh.Jackiewiecz That may have been because they only expected 4th years and above to get invited to the ball by older students. Like if you are in 4th year and you didn't get the list of items that says dress robes for the ball and get invited to the ball, what do you wear?

[@donb7519]

​@@beatthis101yea but that seems cruel. Its saying go spend money 90 percent of you wouldnt need to

[@anaisabelpais7389]

​@@beatthis101I think Ginny had dress robes sent to her

[@beatthis101]

@@donb7519 you’d probably use them sometime for something but idk

[@klaudiagrob]

That chapter when Ron says that he would like to try Firewhiskey I'm sure that Hermione says something like 'Ron you're a prefect'.

[@RoadRage810]

I was unfamiliar with mead until a few years ago when someone offered me some, then more, then a lot more. Had no clue about alcohol content and ended the day absolutely hammered and wandered around in a forest. Good times, glad there were no acromantulas.

[@dantemoose420]

That you saw....

[@toshiroyamada2443]

Really have to be in the mood for mead. Still got half a bottle in my fridge.

[@AmyraCarter]

Or worse, mudcrabs.

[@derekstein6193]

Did you happen to see a pack of centaur drag away a woman in pink?

[@Zachfive]

I always kinda got the impression that Trelawney’s drinking problem may have inhibited her true divination abilities. In fact, she may have started drinking because of “bad dreams” that were actually her true sight manifesting

[@XansStuff]

I don't think that Trelawney's Divination abilities are inhibited at all. If you look through out the books, all her predictions happen. It's that she just misinterprets her own viewings or just doesn't believe them herself. As with the drawing of the lighting struck tower in HBP.

[@carmensavu5122]

@@XansStuff Ben and J actually have a great video on exactly this.

[@carlrood4457]

It might actually be intentional. If you got visions of the future that you didn't always understand, you might drink a lot to calm it down. In the muggle world, schizophrenics are three times more likely to be heavy drinkers.

[@thedragonwarrior5861]

I can definitely see it

[@kaiseremotion854]

@@carlrood4457 its why the theory jack from the shining also had the shine, and drank to surpress it too, and I think ghost whisperer had a similar thing.

[@cedriksandell3800]

This is probably at least partly an Britain vs USA thing regarding alcohol. Europeans are in general a lot more loose with things like "age limit" and being intoxicated around kids/young people.

[@davidioanhedges]

On average the entire worlds legal minimum drinking age is 0 ... only in a few countries is it higher ...

[@verpyplayz5730]

In the UK its 5

[@SwordlessNinja]

SO in britain if a teacher was taking sips from a hip flask it'd be fine?

[@carlrood4457]

A part of it is the US has a much bigger "car culture" and due to the size and way the population is dispersed, it's the only way to get around in much of the country.

[@SwissBadger]

​@@SwordlessNinjain the eigthys when harry potter was writen? Yeah. 100%>

[@SmolYui]

In the UK, it is legal for a 16-year-old to be offered a drink in their own house due to the "private place" exemption. The legal drinking age in the UK is 18 for purchasing alcohol in public places, but young people aged 5-17 are allowed to consume alcohol at home, under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian, in a private residence. This exemption is designed to allow parents to introduce responsible drinking to their children in a controlled environment. It's worth noting that it is still illegal for someone under 18 to purchase alcohol or for an adult to buy alcohol for someone under 18 in a public place except above 14 they can have a single drink with a meal if with adults in a restaurant .

[@carmensavu5122]

Which is a very wise system. The more you forbid something, the more interesting you make it. We drink champagne to celebrate New Year's, and nobody has even thought of getting alcohol-free champagne for me. It was always assumed I would drink the regular champagne the adults were having. Then again, I'm from Eastern Europe, and here we probably err on the opposite side.

[@SmolYui]

@@carmensavu5122 mhm i have never in my life been interested in alcohol or anything like that, it just normalised, and its much better to talk about something explain why something is bad and how to use it responsibly if you do. which is why when i tried it when i was asked i was never like ooo wow this is the special drink i have to have to be an adult, i can just go thats not for me, its available, but not for me, and now i'm an adult i haven't ever been drunk or drank more than half a glass, or even drank for past few years. just have to be careful that the education is inline with the ease of obtaining it!

[@davidioanhedges]

The legal drinking age in the UK ... is 5 in their own home ... this is not easy to find, and below 5 it's not technically illegal, but it will attract a visit from social services

[@canadianeh4792]

I know I was drinking in pubs in the UK at 15 when I was there for rugby. The age being 18 was not enforced until the pub started getting full.

[@kenziehurlock]

🤯

[@bobmyers7030]

At Universal, they aren't "allowed" to put it in, but you can definitely order a glass of Butterbeer and a shot of Firewhisky, and drop the shot in yourself... Was actually told this by the bartenders when I went, and I highly recommend doing it!

[@sintanan469]

Or just make some butterbeer at home. It's not hard to make, not the strongest alcoholic drink, and a great drink for cold winters because there's enough calories and fat in it It's basically a liquid meal.

[@her-myoh-nee1324]

They made my friend one with alcohol in it. That was a while back so it might have changed

[@sintanan469]

@@her-myoh-nee1324 Universal's butterbeer is terrible compared to the original recipe, imo.

[@anamiko]

@@sintanan469 Do you have a recipe? I tried to find one years ago the first time I went to the theme parks, but the one I made did not taste the same at all.

[@ThreadBomb]

@@sintanan469 The original recipe is fictional.

[@mauraaa2988]

idk how it is in the US but here in europe it’s not weird to serve alcohol to young people, especially in private (often parents offer their kids alcohol, i personally started drinking at events at the age of 14…)

[@Boundwithflame23]

Legal drinking age in the US is 21 and underage drinking is a huge no no. You can’t even buy alcohol for someone underage. On top of you can expect to have your ID checked when buying it if you look like you might be under 21 even if you’re older. Though I suppose the underage drinking laws aren’t exactly enforceable within the privacy of one’s home.

[@kbwaterbug29]

​​@@Boundwithflame23fun fact! In Wisconsin a parent or legal guardian can order alcohol for their children at a restaurant or bar.

[@andra-helenaengstrom7552]

Yeah, and they also sell low alcohol fermented drinks here that are considered safe to drink essentially, like kvas or any other type of fermented drink which is essentially still a soft drink

[@dantemoose420]

It's not technically illegal, since parents can give consent and let them partake... but there's a definite stigma, and people get really weird about it.

[@Boundwithflame23]

@@kbwaterbug29 huh. I didn’t know that. That’s interesting

[@malakilecount2025]

1:01 this is a very US approach around the world alcohol isn’t as prohibited or illicit

[@pipwilson7435]

I think this says a lot more about drinking culture in Britain than anything else! Teachers took us to a bar so we could drink alcohol under their supervision on a school field trip when we were 14/15 (this was 2007), and listening to older Brits there's often the stories about teachers having a bottle of teachers (a blended whisky brand) in their desk in the 1970s.

[@Narmatonia]

Maybe it’s different in the US, but the legal drinking ages in UK and Europe generally only apply to pubs/shops selling alcohol, privately with family it’s fine (although schools definitely wouldn’t be allowing alcohol on the premises)

[@alastorclark3492]

It's tech illegal for a minor to drink at all here however we do still follow more or less the same concept. It is illegal for police to just bust your door in because they feel like it so how would they know? My first drink was at 13 for my birthday

[@LadyBeyondTheWall]

In practice, it's mostly like that in the US as well. My parents would let my brother and I drink a bit from 15 onward on New Years Eve, 4th of July, etc as long as we stayed in the house and on our own property, and I knew others whose family's let them do the same. Obviously it varies by family, but police aren't allowed to just bust into your house just to see if your kids are drinking without any actual proof anyway. 🤷🏻‍♀

[@kiltandcocktail5776]

That's the same

[@smalltownabby2125]

Yeah in the USA it’s illegal to drink alcohol under 21 some people get away with it if they are 16 and at home supervised by someone of age or older

[@dreamcream3738]

​@@smalltownabby2125Specifically, it's illegal to drink *publicly* when not of age. Parental consent, in a private setting such as home, is one such exemption. Underage drinking in a private setting is technically not a crime, but like with cigarettes, the crime lay in the acquisition of alcohol. A bunch of teenagers having a house party and drinking without parental supervision almost definitely stole the alcohol, or otherwise obtained the drinks illegally. With cigarettes, it's technically not illegal for a minor to smoke. However, a minor smoking generally means one of three things, all of which are crimes; 1) The minor stole the cigarettes 2)Someone sold the minor cigarettes 3) An adult bought cigarettes for the minor It is very unlikely that someone would just abandon a box of cigarettes in a target parking lot, so anyone can just so happen to find them. Not impossible, as that happened with me on the job.

[@Cherri_Stars]

This is it. This is the Harry Potter question I've been wondering about the most for the past decade. This, and "could you put a wii-remote wrist strap on your wand?"

[@her-myoh-nee1324]

You could get alcohol added to your butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks restaurant only. At least two years ago anyway

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

I hope they added firewhiskey.

[@musicrazy13]

I went is january and got the hot one, the bartender said they never had alcohol butterbeer and they can't do it. but I remember it too....

[@ashlazdanovich8396]

Yes! The first time I went to universal (when I was I think 12 2012) at Diagon Alley, when we asked about Butter bear, they told us that there were non-alcoholic butter bear. When we went up there. They were telling everyone they they had changed it to non-alcoholic recently to make sure there weren’t people getting drunk especially where children are often enjoying time. So no you’re not imagining it.

[@adalbertbuchaniec1199]

I can confirm, there was an alcoholic version sold at the Three Broomsticks at the "Islands of Adventure" Universal Studios Florida Park. It was available but only for those 21+, I was 13 at the time.

[@anamiko]

@@adalbertbuchaniec1199 Really? I guess I was never offered it then. I went with my mom when I was 21 and all they asked me was if I wanted it regular or frozen.

[@JasonRBeing]

I hope all the bears are non-alcoholic bears, but they should sell alcoholic beers too.

[@ExtraBrightMind]

Growing up in Russia, I remember drinking both kvass (fermented cereal based beverage) and kefir (fermented milk drink) from a very young age. Both considered nonalcoholic, but can easily contain up to 0.5 - 1% alcohol. Not exactly strong, but maybe strong for a house elf?

[@tymondabrowski12]

I actually didn't even know kefir can contain alcohol. Didn't know about kvass either but it's not that common here.

[@laurennsspencer]

I remember the butterbeer at Universal having an option for adding alcohol for an addition cost! I think you’re right about it being run. I never ordered it (I don’t drink carbonated drinks) but I swear that was a thing!

[@Mkidcraft]

I remember it being alcoholic in at least one of the walkups, and/or in the restaurant, with the other locations only having the non-alchoholic version.

[@SuperParadox42]

I also remember that you specifically had to order it from inside the tavern if you wanted the alcoholic version. I actually GOT the alcoholic version, and a non-alcoholic frozen version later because I loved the flavor so much. I still have the souvenir mug today. This was in 2016, in late April.

[@katalinadawson5060]

Same! I remember it too

[@asthmaticbee]

I went into this expecting an American confused by the way us Europeans handle alcohol around teens and wasn't disappointed. Haven't laughed this hard in a while (affectionate). Sincerely, a German.

[@alastorclark3492]

Which American did you run into that was confused? A fair few of us drank quite early in life

[@carmensavu5122]

Yup.

[@occheermommy]

Yeah I am american but have traveled enough to know that they drink earlier in Europe and it is a better system in my opinion. I think most of the confusion on this in HP is because it was originally written from a European prospective.

[@magicrealms]

The UK is 16 at the earliest, still worrying for the 13 year olds to drink.

[@ameliagoesontour]

@@magicrealms the limit is only 16 in public, parents are allowed to give their children alcohol at home from age 5 in order to introduce it in a controlled environment! I personally started drinking around 14, as did a lot of my friends

[@DeadSezSo]

With the whole "two teachers drank themselves to sleep" thing, I think Slughorn knew what he had to do and he was drinking to get the courage to do it. He didnt just forget that Harry was trying to get that memory from him. He knew it was crucial for Harry to have that memory but the shame was so deep that he couldn't bring himself to share it with him. So once he'd come down for the acromantula venom and drank to aragogs memory, he kept drinking with the memory in the back of his mind. They call it liquid courage for a reason lol And then Hagrid was mourning, he is a very emotional person and besides that Hagrid is just different lol he's essentially an uncle to Harry, he'd been drunk in front of Harry several times before.

[@ThreadBomb]

I like this a lot. This seems right.

[@castiandisciple8363]

Hagrid is the drunkle we all wish we had.

[@CarolynsReadingRamblings]

Interesting topic! I actually think that the age requirement of 13+ was always just in reference to going into the village and the pub not because kids under 13 couldn't have butterbeer. Like when Seamus and Dean are talking about getting butterbeers and the twins sneak them into the school, and Lupin offers Harry the butterbeer, I never thought that was because butterbeer wasn't allowed at the school but rather that the kids weren't allowed to go off to Hogsmeade anytime they liked. Also for the kids going into the Three Broomsticks pub, I think that is the same as kids going into a restaurant here in the US. Awesome video as always!

[@ThreadBomb]

Kids in the pub also reminds me of Hot Fuzz, where they let the kids into the pub because there weren't many places to go and it kept them out of trouble.

[@Voraii]

I always imagined its just because of how Witches and Wizards are half stuck in the past. Like how they still write with quills and stuff. Its a mindset most have because excessive drinking or drinking as a social thing is an adult thing but a drink or two for a kid is seen like a treat.

[@keanekids4266]

1:58 As someone who went to Universal and got chocolate frogs, They taste like cheap chocolate. They’re also so incredibly hard to eat because of how hard the chocolate is and on top of that they are 11 USD a pop. There’s just no way in which its worth it. 1:58

[@Nick_C1997]

Yeah, even in the books, I think they say that the appeal of the chocolate frogs is the collectible cards I once tried a knockoff chocolate frog from a sweet shop in Newcastle, it was smaller than the official ones and filled with ganache and crumbled honeycomb

[@Boundwithflame23]

My work used to sell these little chocolate frogs that had crisp rice (like Nestle Crunch bars). They werent too bad and they had collectible holographic cards. I (somewhat fittingly I suppose) kept getting Salazar Slytherin.

[@jodimasciave772]

Another description of butterbeer to suggest it is an alcoholic beverage. "Harry supposed he would just have to wait to see what happened under the influence of Butterbeer in Slughorn’s dimly lit room on the night of the party."

[@pyjamacritic1171]

As others have said, this is less about the wizarding world and more the UK's relationship with alcohol. The legal age to buy alcohol is 18, tho adults can buy 16 year olds one drink with a meal in a restaurant or pub, at home it's entirely at the discretion of the parents or responsible adults. This means a head teacher could indeed buy drink for the students at a boarding school, but she wouldn't because there's no knowing what parents might have a problem with it, best to play it safe. Also I think butterbeer is rather like the canned drink Happy Shandy, sold in some shops to kids of any age, nothing like the shandy sold in pubs, it's really just lemonade with a light lager flavoring. My interpretation of "black market butterbeer" is that it's a higher alcohol version usually only sold to adults. As for Slughorn and Hagrid getting drunk, I'm sure Dumbledore would usually be against this but in the circumstances he was so pleased Harry got the memory that he looked the other way. We know Dumbledore is not above ignoring rule violations in favor of the greater good. (cue Hot Fuzz gifs)

[@deSolAxe]

Maybe the reason why mundane alcohol is not an issue to wizards is because they have means to quickly dispell its effects... Also when you can regrow bones and stuff... I don't think that you need to worry about stunting one's development, there are probably all kinds of potions to help people grow... in all kinds of places...

[@cjhan47]

Outside the U.S. alcohol isn’t really that big a deal. That’s why those places don’t have the teenage alcohol abuse issues. It’s not seen as taboo so kids don’t secretly seek it out and over indulge when they get it to the same extent American kids do.

[@PcCAvioN]

Research shows that Europe has HIGHER rates of adolescent alcohol abuse. You just don't consider it a problem so you don't notice it

[@bt04042]

its a pub, not a bar. and yes there is a difference. and you need to factor in that HP is set in the UK and not USA and the relationship with alcohol is completely different between the two cultures. this is from an American living in the UK for over 20 years. also its even more lax on the continent.

[@taylorwickham]

What's the difference? I always just assumed that a pub was a British term for bar.

[@KodaCreatez]

​@@taylorwickhampubs can sell food can have outside seating children are allowed in them, they also tend to have more of a community it's quite common to go to the local pud to watch football

[@taylorwickham]

@@KodaCreatez Ok. In America, that would still just be called a bar.

[@carlrood4457]

@@taylorwickham In the US, a pub is usually just a bar with an UK or Irish theme.

[@taylorwickham]

@carlrood4457 Yeah, that's what I had in my head.

[@tylerdude1996]

It's kinda odd that Hagrid actually passed out first, wouldn't you think it would take a TON of alcohol to get him to this point considering he is half giant. I feel like a few bottles of wine would be nothing to him

[@laurastevens8154]

He was probably drinking from the point Aragog died

[@thedragonwarrior5861]

​@@laurastevens8154makes sense

[@ThreadBomb]

I think alcohol affecting Hagrid is part of his "soft-hearted" personality.

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

Little did you know, giants are actually lightweights.

[@tastymonkey]

Of course when I think of hagrid being able to drink reminds me of Andre the Giant was able to put away so much alcohol before he got drunk.

[@averageperson3025]

Me watching this video as a german: Oh, oh... teenagers drinking alcohol? How terrible! Which irresponsible society would allow that!

[@davidioanhedges]

The minimum drinking age in Germany is of course ... 0 ... like most countries

[@FandomTheWise]

The minimum legal drinking age in the US is 21, as is smoking. And the police are very strict but sometimes you can have stuff in your home as long as you keep it private

[@carmensavu5122]

@@FandomTheWise Wasn't smoking 18?

[@FandomTheWise]

@@carmensavu5122 the goverment changed it a couple of years ago

[@carlrood4457]

@@FandomTheWise Technically, each state has its own drinking age and there is no age for the whole country. However, in the 80s, the Federal government applied the power of the purse to force states that didn't have a 21 year old age to change it or lose federal highway funds.

[@ETREDROOMREVIEWS]

I think that all alcohols (not black market varieties or muggle varieties obv) are enchanted to specifically hold back the alcohol content based on age. Why it affects Winkey so much is probably because of this, as it wouldn't be calibrated for elves because it was never intended for them to drink it.

[@kazoohero93]

I personally think there’s a lot to look into about Hagrid and his alcohol usage. He’s often seen / suggested to be intoxicated. Very much think it’s meant to inform the reader as to Hagrid’s feelings of isolation and/or depression.

[@melodysong6521]

My mom, stepdad, and I went to Universal Studios back like, right before the pandemic. I definitely remember them having to specify they wanted the alcoholic butterbeer for themselves and the non-alcoholic one for me, you are not alone!

[@melodysong6521]

@SuperCarlinBrothe. Thank you? What does this mean?

[@rathchain3287]

My take is this. The magical world of Harry Potter has many similarities to medieval "muggle" history. Everyday drinking of alcohol by people of all ages was normal. Certainly better in most cases than drinking the water.

[@gracenicklas922]

talking to the person who does the captions has to be one of my favorite running jokes this channel has done, and I have seen a lot since i have been a fan of this channel for years, I miss the mystery door sometimes

[@leoniemusiclover8262]

The drinking system sounds like the German one. Its done in levels which i think is a good way to know your limits early

[@FulcanMal]

Yeah the impression I got from my brother, who spent a lot of time in Europe while in the Navy (and the same sentiments mirrored by your European fans in the comments), as well as my own breif time in London, and from our German exchange student in high school, is that not only are their alcohol rules regarding teens super lax to begin with, they're sort of regarded the same way as the speed limit. Completely ignored by most people. (Edit: Also, another example of why you guys need to do a 'Is it magic, or is it British' quiz.)

[@sapphireseptember]

Laws around alcohol are strictly enforced. Shops and pubs have 'think 25' policies for the sale of age restricted products, alcohol being one of them. If you sell an age restricted product to someone underage it can land you in prison. Although it's funny that some things are age restricted where I work (Sharpies) but not others (rat poison, drain cleaner and circular saw blades!)

[@FulcanMal]

@@sapphireseptember I mean, they are pretty strictly enforced here in the US too, but underage drinking is still very common. Just not as openly lax as it seems to be in many European countries. (Again, not just me saying that, but European fans in the comments). Obviously region and personal experiences are going to vary on these things. Here in the US there are huge differences by State or even town. New Orleans for example is practically its own country, with an extremely loose philosophy on alcohol, where the rest of Louisiana is quite puritanical.

[@loganh0217]

I thought there were 7 kinds of Butterbeer in the Wizarding World? Cold, Hot, Frozen, Fudge, Potted Cream, Soft Serve, and Hard Packed ice cream.

[@thomasvrielink299]

That all makes me wonder what the legal drinking age in the UK was in the 90s. I know that in the Netherlands it only went up from 16 to 18 after I was a teen in the zeros (my little brother fell in the middle of this change, being allowed to drink for 9 months when he turned 16 before the legal age went up to 18). During that time, it was also common for alcohol to be served at parties organized by my school. There were ways in which they tried to prevent students that weren't old enough from drinking, but those didn't really work. So yeah, you finding this all very strange just makes me realize how American you are.

[@Ryker_Eve]

Size is not always a case when you get drunk. Elephants are massive lightweights when it comes to alcohol and bats are one of the strongest when it comes to holding alcohol.

[@TheFixer710]

"it's not strong that stuff" - Harry Potter to Dobby in goblet of fire. This implies it has at least a slight alcoholic content maybe 0.1 to 1% not enough to get anyone inebriated unless you're a house elf.

[@Heresor]

In Germany it's more the commercial drinking age that is regulated. I had my first glass of champagne at a New Year's party at 11 years old (I didn't like it) and got drunk the first time at 14 while drinking sangria in the presence of my dad.

[@theparagamer786]

I haven’t even started watching yet, but thank you so much for making this. I’ve been wondering about this for so long.

[@britishandproud3347]

There's no reason Dudley couldn't be offered a drink in his own home. There's no real age limit for drinking at home in UK and legal drinking age is 16 with a responsible adult as long as the 16 year old has a meal but can only order 2 drinks (I think)

[@kaiseremotion854]

its probably a bit weird for a school principle to be doing the offering though?

[@britishandproud3347]

@kaiseremotion854 Yeah but it's Dumbledore innit. Hardly a conventional head master

[@Hugh.G.Rectionx]

the legal drinking age is 5 years old in your home in the UK

[@ThatLegoGuy-10140]

1:51 $33 for 3 Chocolate Frogs on SALE! What the Sh*t is Wrong with this Economy!

[@CleanChimp08]

I'm surprised Dumbledore didnt invite Harry to something with a high alcohol content at this point

[@SCP-Dr_Bright]

1:00 13 maybe slightly too young but america has one of the highest drinking ages in the world and not too long ago used to be much lower. a couple decades ago in some places like louisiana, if you were tall enough to put your chin on the bar you could order a pony miller.

[@hettyscetty9785]

The UK isn't exactly known for being responsible with alcohol. As Russell Howard once said, this country turns into the purge at the weekend. The legal age for alcohol in this country is treated like a suggestion most of the time. And that's with the 16 year olds can drink in the house under supervision of an adult.

[@summerleia]

I don't think thats true, I'm 29 and still get ID'd at some bars!

[@tsinestexicthdauwraum9082]

In certain parts of the US in the early 90s you could still go to the store with a note to pick up cigarettes for your parents. It's really not so bizarre that the Wizarding World would be playing it fast and loose back then, too. They seemed pretty willy nilly about everything but the Unforgivables and the SoS. Also: if Dumbledore hadn't gotten to Tom... well, that's how you get Riddle-Obscurus. Do you want Riddle-Obscurus?

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Its always appreciated how much passion and dedication it goes into your work guys! Youre the best!😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@hufflepom]

My husband is amazed that I’ve found people as obsessed with the books as I am. I appreciate them so much!

[@alecsmith3448]

I also remeber that the Butterbeer at Universal used to be alcoholic, specificaly since my mom wouldnt let me drink it the first time we went there.

[@hilaryhowserkendrick552]

It's never been alcoholic.

[@LadyCheshire95]

Britain just has a drinking culture, and our pubs had play areas. Parents don't question much, giving even toddlers a taste of bear. Even today I took my niece on my hen party at 15 and brought her a few drinks. She left with her dad after 8pm. My parents brought us alcohol for parties at 15. Europe just doesn't see alcohol in the same way as the US does

[@canadianeh4792]

My friend owns a microbrewery in Canada and had a play area in the tasting room for kids with a kids menu for food and fancy drinks. It was super popular but the government made them shut it down.

[@yeahey5947]

Just curious what’s a hen party? Sounds like a ladies night but still with wondering how a Brit would describe it

[@pyjamacritic1171]

​@@yeahey5947It's a bachelorette party, last party with the girls (including gay boys) before the ring goes on. The men's version is a Stag party and they typically both happen a week before the wedding.

[@ozyssah]

my favorite part of the harry potter series is how the little everyday things feel, its so similar yet so different and weird which makes it feel extra magical. there has never been another fictional magical world that has the same effect it does IMO, cant get enough of it to the point that I actually enjoy watching entire youtube videos about a drink in the series.

[@Anna-B]

And even if we can excuse the drinks given to them by teachers and other adults as a British thing, that doesn’t explain them buying and drinking it at 13 without any supervision

[@FulcanMal]

They do explain this in this video. Butterbeer's alcohol content is super mild, like Kamucha, to the point of not being treated legally as an alcoholic beverage.

[@UnfazedPhoenix]

It barely has any alcohol percentage. This uptight kind of thinking is why kids get blackout drunk the minute they turn 21. If not sooner.

[@Zabzim]

Let’s clear something up, butterbeer is equivalent to a bitter shandy and thus by UK law in which Harry Potter is set, falls below what is legally defined as alcohol (that greater than 2% per volume).

[@Zabzim]

So teenager can drink it just fine, house elves whom are a great deal smaller are more more effected by it, as alcohol tolerance is proportionate to your body mass. That why you don’t get many fat alcoholics.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

HEEY BROTHER! How are you guys doing?😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@CleanChimp08]

Good, I didn't have school this week

[@Snoop_Dugg]

In France, wine was served to elementary school students as part of lunch as late as 1990.

[@davidioanhedges]

The drinking age in the majority of the world is ... there isn't one .... Most (but not all by any means) countries have an age were you can purchase alcohol - but most have no drinking age ...

[@AmyraCarter]

6:36 Mead, which is made with honey and fermented molasses (the common method in my homeland anyway), is not very alcoholically potent. It's actually a common complaint in TES V: Skyrim, when listening to various Bandit NPCs talking. I'd expect that butterbeer is similar. ... "Wonka. Butterscotch? Buttergin? You running something on the side here?" ~Mr. Salt "Candy is dandy; liquor is quicker." ~Wonka I think butterbeer is a slight reference/poke at this line from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. ... I've had mead. It's a drink one has to pair with food, or else it'll taste really bad after a cup or two. Of course, I always have food with any alcoholic drink I consume, because drinking just for the sake of it, is ridiculous. Fight me, if you disagree.

[@alastorclark3492]

Hi there! Yes it is Ron says so to dobby. That stuffs not that strong. It is for a house elf sir

[@alastorclark3492]

Ohh my bad. Harry**

[@Missy_Lib]

We went to Universal Harry Potter once a few years ago and I asked for the nonalcoholic version of Butterbeer. There was a separate alcoholic version on the menu. Haven’t been back since to know what changed, but it was definitely delicious at the time

[@ameliagoesontour]

Certified Brit here! The three broomsticks is a pub, not a bar. Pubs in the UK are more like a combination between a restaurant and a bar, usually serve full meals and are family friendly, unlike a US bar which only allows adults. The drinking age here is also pretty lax, in private you can start giving your kids alcohol from age five, and in public 16 and 17 year olds can have a drink with a meal if they’re with an adult. Personally, I started drinking around 13/14 as did a lot of my friends. Obviously it’s inappropriate for the school to be serving alcohol, but as mentioned rules might be a little different for wizards. Just trying to put the drinking age into context for non brits, I’ve never really questioned the alcohol in HP since it’s such an ingrained part of our culture here!

[@noblegas8485]

I actually did the math on Winky and the probable ABV content of butterbeer. It should be between half and two percent judging by her size, assuming she's of average tolerance, and assuming no physiological differences like that inability to process alcohol some real people groups have.

[@SaturdayMorninCrafting]

Couple of what if suggestions: 1: what if Tom riddle never went to hogwarts 2: since it has been suggested that between Harry and Neville who ever voldemort chose would be the chosen one, what if voldemort didn't attack either of them

[@kainoat]

Ive had "butterbeer" at bars which were doing Harry Potter themed parties.. but that was usually like a carbonated honey mead they were serving and a few yes you could get a shot of "fire whiskey" added in.. I dont ever remember there being an alcoholic version of butterbeer at Universal though and I've been going since it opened.

[@BaranErdeser]

This man looked into researched and wrote scripts for multiple subjects but didn't care to look into alcohol culture in europe

[@ladyesmeralda999]

It's great as a Brit to watch this video, knowing that most of the context needed to understand how drinking in the UK Wizarding Community does NOT come from the HP books, but from British drinking culture in general and how alcohol is approached with regards to teenagers and young adults 😂 J, Ben, if you ever read this, please know that the UK (and most other European countries) have a VERY different stance on alcohol in general than the US, one of the reasons for this is that the UK has never had any kind of formal prohibition on the sale of alcohol (US prohibition was 1921-1933) and also, alcohol is used in parts of many traditional customs (in churches, at military toasts etc). Also, because the legal age to buy alcohol is lower, a 16 year old drinking in the UK is more like an 18-19 year old drinking in the US. Yes, it's technically illegal, but most people won't actually do anything, unless a police officer sees a 16 year old state that they're underage, have bought the alcohol they're holding, and then chugs it in front of them. Hopefully any US viewers that see this will have a bit more info and context 🙂👍

[@kellyknowles236]

Not sure about butterbeer specifically, but I can tell you that on most of the Trademarked drinks at Universal, including pumpkin juice, they cannot add or take away anything from the recipe, including alcohol. For instance, they couldnt serve the butterbeer without the cream for trademark reasons, even if you have an allergy. you also cant ask for a shot of firewhisky in your pumpkin juice (you CAN however ask for a shot of firewhisky on the side and mix it in yourself, which I highly suggest)

[@davidponseigo8811]

In my state of Louisiana we were the last state in the US with the drinking age of 18 , when they changed it it nearly killed the business in my Pub. It took a few years to recover.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

The moment that popped into my head upon seeing the video was when Dobby said to Ron that is for a house elf.

[@WyrdFrost]

There is a private club loophole for alcohol in the UK. My school had an afterschool bar in the 6th common room. (16+) As long as you had membership and parental permission you could buy beers etc.

[@emankcin1701]

Snape: "What are you doing with Potter all those evenings you are closeted together?" Dumbledore: "I knew it Harry! I knew you'd be able to lure Professor Slughorn to get wasted with another Professor! Well done!"

[@markdu8762]

There is a "soft drink" available in the UK, bitter shandy which is half a percent alcohol b/v which is not restricted by age for purchase. As to giving alcohol to Dudley in the home at Privet Drive at 16 or whatever age he was, UK law is OK with that, in fact under certain circumstances age 5 and older can be served alcohol legally

[@robynhayward]

I appreciate yalls dedication to including voldys laugh whenever possible 😂😂

[@meganperkins6845]

Yes to the universal studios Butterbeer question. When they first opened, yes you could ask for a spicked Butterbeer. Now I believe it's only during certain times of the year, or at specific locations in the park.

[@kinakomochi_cats]

I always thought that the legal age of drinking all types of alcohol was 16 in the wizarding world and that's why you see professors giving alcohol to 16-year-olds and Dumbledore offering alcohol to Dudley. Butterbeer has always been a mistery to me

[@khayon1783]

It's the same as kvass, it's slightly alcoholic because it's fermented, but you can buy it freely no matter your age.

[@rosie2152]

This checks out with my (muggle) experience of life in the UK from a not so different time period as when HP was at school. I would expect Butterbeer to be about 2.5% based on how it is treated.

[@cherryb893]

Yeah, I was thinking not more than 3% myself (native Brit commenting)

[@amandahallows5444]

In some states of the US kombucha must be bought by someone 21 years or older because it is fermented. And I too remember someone saying that you could get an alcoholic version of butterbeer in the parks, cold or hot.

[@MAYA-wz4kz]

What perfect timing! I just had a nice cold refreshing frozen butterbeer today!

[@matthew8865]

2:45 At the bar in the Hog’s Head you are able to ask for a shot in your butterbeer but I believe it is exclusive to Hollywood or at least they don’t do it in Orlando

[@jameshamaker9321]

I'm sure there was a reference to a caramel based alcohol in the sword and the stone books, because Merlin gives something called buttered scotch to a French noble man who falls over completely drunk, after one full ounce mug of it. it's the closest thing I've found to it.

[@Hari-Harmonies]

In Britain, we can start drinking under supervision at a young age. I started drinking at home when I was 12 on celebratory occasions. At boarding school, the supervision is the school, so it wouldn't actually be farfetched. I feel its better this way since we are educated on the danger of drinking in excess far earlier and under a safe environment, which leads to a far more positive relationship with it.

[@lazylazerrsp8781]

I definitely remember some time on this channel an offhand comment of being able to have alcohol mixed into the butterbeer. I think the video also talked about the wands you can buy and them being used for gimmicks. I just don't remember if it was focused on the theme park or if it was focused on wand lore.

[@Kommander42]

Age restrictions on drinking mostly exist because cars also exist. Wizards more or less don't drive, so it makes sense they have fewer restrictions on alcohol. I'd imagine if students come back from Hogsmede totally wasted they're getting at least a detention or two, but alcohol probably isn't enough of a problem in the wizarding world that they have to make too many actual laws about it.

[@Ecci2]

I had Butterbeer at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. It was like vanilla ice cream + some form of fizzy drink but amazing!

[@GeoffreyAli]

I also remember having alcohol as an option at universal in CA many years ago. Though now you have me questioning my own memory.

[@PuddleRunner]

As someone who makes mead, mead is typically 8% or higher. Most meads are 10-15% like some wines, but mead can be fortified with a neutral spirit to get it beyond 20% without it being considered a spirit itself (in the US). The lightest meads I've heard about are no longer than 4-5% ABV and this type of mead is called "session mead"

[@EmilyCheetham]

J in uk you can legally drink in the home from age 5. Many parents give their children diluted alcohol (alcohol diluted with fruit juice)on special occasions. My parents gave it to me dorm around the age of between 8&10. Meant alcohol wasn’t a mystery. Only time I ever got drunk was when I went champagne tasting with my parents in France in my teens and no one told me I was supposed to spit it out.

[@adamrabe3105]

Jacob Kowalski laughing because of the Giggle Water, always classic. Hoping they can find a way to finish the series, possibly on HBO Max with a show. In terms of non-caffeine drinks for the Carlin Kids, will there be a hot cocoa coming from Carlin Brothers Coffee (or maybe some type of tasty pumpkin juice)?

[@jonathaneduardo7332]

Fascinating subject, as someone from latinamerica who now lives in Europe but of course grew up on American media, this is such an interesting cultural thing for me to observe. I think a lot of the relationship of Americans with alcohol makes more sense through when you contextualize it with how "young" Christianity and religion at large is in the US relative to Europe.

[@dvdh4856]

12:15 good caffeine guidelines! You wouldn't know it, with how many kids are drinking coke and whatnot.

[@boltontillidie3347]

10:28 a Brit here but did anyone else's teachers drink right in front of students i remember we always had a gin bar in our school market's in y6 and kids could get a drink but none of them liked it. That was around the time of the Harry Potter movies when we had the gin bar and I just think it was a bit of time ago and uk and Europe have a way more relaxed attitude to drinking

[@k.2167]

"Harry should you be driving mate? how many butter beers have you had?" "Only seven why?"

[@truescot2000]

In Britain we have cans of shandy which can be bought with kids and has a small amount of alcohol in it, I always thought butter bear was based on that

[@Acerthorn]

In the UK, you can drink alcohol as young as 5 with parental supervision, so it isn't illegal for Dudley to have the mead.

[@santaabolina7235]

This sounds like some of our drinks. We have drinks that are non alcoholic and sold to kids but my kid drank in one barbeque party three bottles of it and got tipsy. Turns out for smaller kid it can be alcoholic enough to get a bit tipsy even though grown-ups (or even a teenagers) can never drink it so much to get drunk from it.

[@YessiYuri]

IN THE PARK, there are 2 types of ButterBeer. The Foamy cold one, usually served outside at a kiosk and the Non foamy Warm one, usually sold at the Bar in the Three Broomsticks.

[@Olianna10wolf]

Here in Europe, we are not as strict about alcohol rules and age restrictions as you are in the USA and Canada. We tend to be less strict about following rules in general, I suppose ;)