Gluten Free - Butterbeer?

[autostyles]

I agree with you on the highlighted part, I was really just trying to make a point. The original message was to correct the missinformation listed on this site and express our displeasure over the parks response. Sorry so many took offense to it. Tink2, I felt your comments were out of line and the parenting advice was unwarranted. We still have season passes and will continue to enjoy the park. Being displeased with this situation does not mean we are letting this ruin the entire experience, we were just unhappy with that particular part of it. Also before you dismiss my argument do know that altering the way the drink is served due to medical conditions would not infringe on a trademark. While I know that contacting J.K. Rowling will be difficult that does not mean it is impossible. I am sorry you took such offense to our problem but please remember just because something is not important to you does not mean it's not important.

So back to the original statement, Butterbeer is not gluten free and no accommidations are available currently at the park. If you would like to help change this please write J.K. Rowling care of her publishers both in the U.S. and England. Contacting the park will prove to be unhelpful as they are not currently willing to help.

 

[elborak]

I wanted to bump this thread with some additional advice for dealing with gluten and butterbeer.

My wife was diagnosed with Ciliac Disease just a few months ago and was quite disappointed to find out that she would be unable to try the butterbeer on our recent Disney/Universal vacation trip. While we were walking about the Wizarding World, an obvious idea struck me: why not just put in the straw before the foam topping? Then someone who can't tolerate gluten could drink the first 25-50% of the drink (until the foam starts to mix with the butterbeer) and then pass it off to someone else to finish.

So off we went to the Snowman cart to give it a try!

One complication: just like with the "we can't serve it without the foam" issue, the servers are under very strict orders to not serve regular butterbeer (not the frozen variety) with a straw. According to the server we talked to, it apparently can cause it to "foam over".

But the frozen is fine. When we made the request, the server asked if we had a dairy allergy. When we said "no, gluten" she claimed that the butterbeer was gluten free; of course we knew better. But it was no problem for her to put in the straw before the foam.

And my wife was very happy at being able to join in on the butterbeer fun! She was probably only able to drink about 30% or so before the foam started to visibly drift down toward the bottom of the cup, but that just meant that I got to finish it .

In hindsight, it may have worked even better to put in the straw upside-down (if they will allow that). The "spoon" style scoop on the end of the straw probably serves to draw down the foam faster than if a normal straw were used, so putting in the straw upside-down and then cutting off the scoop portion would probably work best.

So to all of you gluten-free folks out there: enjoy a butterbeer with your family!

Hope this idea helps others as much as it did us.

 

[damo]

The foam on top does expand when mixed with the butterbeer on the bottom.

 

[elborak]

The foam on top does expand when mixed with the butterbeer on the bottom.

To a degree, but with the frozen butterbeer there's definitely time to drink a substantial amount (if you're careful to not agitate it unnecessarily) before the foam can reach anywhere near the bottom.

 

[sparkysfriends]

I just contacted Universal and got an answer (in writing) that states that Pumpkin Juice and Butter Beer (including the topping) are gluten free.