[HPforGrownups] Butterbeer, was Re: Food&Drink, Topic Summary and Questions

[MeriLeslie26 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 28150

In a message dated 10/24/2001 2:31:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
joym999 at aol.com writes:


> Forgive me if this has already been hashed out, but I always 
> assumed
> > butterbeer was just a more exotic and delicious variety of 
> gingerbeer,
> > perhaps a reference to Diana Wynne Jones' butter pies. Is there any
> > reason to assume it's alcoholic, especially as Harry is given it by 
> a
> > well-disposed teacher? 
> 
> Well, it's alcoholic enough for house-elves to become drunks if they 
> imbibe too much.  From GoF, chapter 28:

I remember reading that scene, too, and being surpassed that the butterbeer 
is alcoholic.  One thing that occurred to me is that it might be something 
similar to hard cider, which has about 1% (or less) alcohol in it.  A normal 
person (teenager included) would have to drink a lot before they would feel 
any sort of buzz on that.  Also, thinking back to my forays in Europe, I 
don't think it is denied to those under the age of 21 (or even 18).  I hope 
my memory isn't playing nifty little tricks on me.  I may be corrected later 
on.  Following this train of thought, even though that amount of alcohol 
would not be enough to effect a person, it is enough to effect a house elf.

Another thought is that butterbeer is made of something that wouldn't get 
humans drunk, but does get house elves drunk.  What do we really know about 
the metabolism of a house elf?  I do know that some things will induce a 
drunk like state in animals but will not have the same effect on humans.  
Look at a cat with catnip.  Or even, for those of you around the South 
Eastern part of the US, seagulls get drunk on palmetto seeds.  So drunk in 
fact that they would drown in nearby pools.  

Leslie


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