I Ate Every Kind of Butterbeer-Flavored Snack

Here is my hottest Harry Potter take: Out of all the books, films, theme park attractions, and video games, the single best aspect of this mega-multimedia franchise is … the one you drink.

Harry Potter-branded Butterbeer was initially only served at the Harry Potter lands in various Universal Studios parks around the globe. First described in the Potter books as a butterscotch-flavored concoction (with a slight alcoholic content), and then consumed by the flagon-full in the cinematic adaptations, real-world Butterbeer became one of the signature selling points of the very first Wizarding World of Harry Potter when it opened at Universal’s Islands of Adventure in the summer of 2010.

The precise makeup of Universal’s (non-alcoholic) Butterbeer is a secret, but it sort of tastes like a cross between cream soda and butterscotch, topped with a butterscotch whipped cream topping. Whatever is in it, it’s delicious; it might be my favorite carbonated beverage on the planet. And I can’t be alone in that opinion, because Universal (and whoever is in charge of Harry Potter licensing) keep adding more varieties: There’s not just a Butterbeer drink, there’s also Butterbeer slushes and Butterbeer ice cream and Butterbeer cream puffs and Butterbeer fudge, and so on. (I’m not sure you could actually make Butterbeer the flamethrower, but at this point, it wouldn’t feel out of place.)

I haven’t tried all of these varietals, but I’ve sampled a bunch — including the underrated hot Butterbeer — and they are all good. The latest expansion to this lineup takes the treat out of theme parks and official Harry Potter stores and into grocery chains, which are now selling Butterbeer versions of well-established snack foods.

Given my taste for all things Butterbeer, when Warner Bros. reached out and offered to send me a box of these treats they are promoting as part of “Butterbeer Season,” I immediately said yes — and not for the usual reason that I am honor bound to eat any and all foods inspired by movies. This time I undertook my sacred duty not out of obligation but genuine curiosity.

They ultimately sent me four different Butterbeer-y foods. Here are all of them.

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I should note that I shared all these snacks with my family, and everyone had a different favorite. I preferred the Goldfish, my wife liked the popcorn, my older daughter loved the Kisses, and my youngest liked the cookies. Perhaps this is the true “magic” of movie food; its success can only be measured subjectively.