The Three Broomsticks Inn Live At Stoddard's

It was such a gorgeous evening tonight after I got out of work that I decided to roll the windows down, put some tunes on the radio, and just drive around and soak in the wonderful setting sun. My meanderings happened to take me to my old home town of Stow. As I drove down Kent Road and crossed the Stow/Kent border, I noticed a sign out of the corner of my eye. It was a sign for Stoddard's Frozen Custard & Yogurt. What caught my eye were two words on that sign:


They are right there at the bottom of the sign: "Butterbeer Drink". Knowing that the latest Harry Potter film had opened up just two days ago, I quickly put two and two together and realized that Stoddard's might be trying out something that tied in with the movie. I quickly pulled in and walked up to the counter to find out more.

I've written about Stoddard's before and have always been impressed with the frozen custard treats I have had from them in the past. When I got to the counter, I was pleasantly surprised by a sign of the daily specials for the next couple of days:


Both Stoddard's (which has just the one location in Kent) and Strickland's (multiple locations throughout Akron and the suburbs) are unique in that they offer homemade flavor(s)-of-the-day. The list at Stoddard's was tantalizing, but I was here to dig deeper into the mystery of the advertised Butterbeer. When the young woman working the counter slid open the window, I immediately inquired about the often quaffed brew from the Harry Potter novels. Her eyes lit up as she recognized a fellow fan. She confirmed that yes, it was inspired from the novels and they had mixed up a concoction that consisted of their homemade vanilla frozen custard, root beer, and butterscotch. This was then blended together and served with a straw. I was instantly sold and ordered one.

After a few minutes, I was presented with a cup (I'd say 20 ounces or so) of this frothy beverage:


Gentle reader, I have to tell you that this was a cool and delicious cup of brew. They had expertly mixed together the flavors of vanilla, root beer, and butterscotch. Each could be tasted separately and at the same time, each harmonized well with the others. The consistency was thicker than soda, but not nearly as thick as a milkshake. I'd say somewhere about the thickness of whole milk. I tried to control myself from taking large gulps through the straw, but my willpower weakened considerably after my first taste. It took me all of about 90 seconds to go from a full cup to this:


If I might be permitted to channel Charlie Brown: Good grief, that was an excellent drink! I thought about going back inside and ordering another one, but my sense of restraint (sometimes it sucks being an adult, no?) kicked in and I simply slurped up every little bit I could through the straw, wiped my mouth, and got rid of my trash in the nearest receptacle. While this version didn't warm me up like it did to the characters in the novels, it certainly refreshed me.

I'm not sure exactly how long they are going to offer this (although the ingredients are certainly things they would have on hand any given day), so I suggest you and your Harry Potter loving little ones drive over as soon as you can to pick one up. Don't blame me if you get addicted to this; I'll be the one pushing and shoving people out of the way in order to get to the front of the line to get a refill.