Butterbeer and drinking in the Potterverse

[Eric Oppen]

No: HPFGUIDX 28155

Myself, I think that young wizards (below the "legal age" for drinking in
the Muggle world) drinking butterbeer is more an artifact of the general
old-fashionedness of the wizard world.  Prior to Victorian times, it was
nothing out of the ordinary for children to drink, even to drink enough to
make them tipsy and sleepy, at much younger ages than HP & Co.  In colonial
times in America, children drank "flip" (a mixture of egg, spices, ale, beer
or cider and a few other things) and small beer.

This changed in the (English-speaking?) Muggle world during Victorian times,
as part of what I consider their grotesque and absurd cult of childhood
"innocence." By the time this was done, the idealized "innocent child" had
become the most overrated human being since G. Julius Caesar threw his arms
around Brutus and said "You're like a son to me!"   It still goes on in some
countries; my best girlfriend in college told me about seeing French kids
drinking wine or cider with their parents and nobody thinking anything of
it, and this is the rule in many other cultures.  I've spoken with exchange
students who find American high school students' attitude toward watery
American beer incredibly stupid and childish, since at home, they can drink
beer, or wine, if they want to.

Remember in GoF, when Karakoff eagerly offers Victor Krum some mulled wine?
When the other boy asks for some, Karakoff snaps at him, but doesn't say
"Oh, you SINNER!  You want to drink WINE!  Wine is urine from the last leper
in Hell!"  (Thank you, Lady Whiteadder...I wonder why all of a sudden Victor
is looking slightly green?)