'Harry Potter' Fans Flocking To Lawrenceville Beer Shop To Try Butterbeer
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- More and more craft beers are being produced in the Pittsburgh area, but something called Butterbeer is the star attraction in Lawrenceville.
"Harry Potter" fans are intrigued and drinking up as part of Row House Cinema's Harry Potter Film Festival.
The neighboring beer shop, Bierport, has jumped into the wizarding world, transforming into a tavern you might see in the fictional village of Hogsmeade.
And how does the favorite drink of Harry and his friends taste?
"It's delicious," said Mandie Adamczyk, of Squirrel Hill. "It's really good. It tastes like coffee, like an alcoholic coffee."
Technically, they've concocted two, both a hot and cold Butterbeer. People say the cold one tastes much like the one served at Universal Studios in Florida.
Both have a beer base, but the recipe for the hot one is top secret.
"It kind of tastes like a shortbread drink that's alcoholic," said owner Brian Mendelssohn, who says they made 30 or 40 batches before they perfected it. "We spent all day today fine tuning the batch we made Monday night, and I think we finally nailed it."
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The place was packed Wednesday night, with some people wearing Harry Potter garb.
They also have Harry Potter cookies and Butterbeer ice cream, but there's more to all of this than food or drinks.
Many of the people attending the film festival love the books and movies and want to spend a little time in a world where anything is possible.
"You feel like it really could be happening," said Natalie Sciulli of Bellevue, a self-proclaimed Potter fan. "There could be this separate magical world right under our noses."
The festival runs through March 2.
