Is Apple family cider alcoholic? · 9:37pm Nov 1st, 2014
Random thoughts on waking up on the morning after nightmare night.
One of the peculiarities of the English language is that the word cider can refer to either an intoxicating liquid made from fermented pressed apples; or a non-alcoholic unfermented beverage of the same juice. Anything sold as cider in Britain contains alcohol. In North America, it is, more often than not, the other sort.
It would be totally irresponsible for a media firm to produce a cartoon aimed at young children in which the characters are seen using recreational drugs. Especially in a country so concerned about under-age alcohol abuse, that it has the highest minimum legal drinking age in the world—US citizens being denied the right to go out for a drink until some years after they can legally vote, drive, and shoot cute furry animals (or so I have been told by American students, while they were taking full advantage of the greater liberties afforded by a year studying in Europe).
Therefore we conclude that the Equestrian beverage is a entirely sober batch of fruit juice. And if there is any doubt, in S2E15 we are shown two independent super-speedy methods of cider production, neither of which allow time for any significant fermentation.
But we viewers tend to believe whatever we regard as the better story, which is not necessarily the most logical interpretation. It seems the greater fraction of fimfiction writers prefer the other interpretation. And why not? Surely Rainbow Dash's excessive salivating is not just in anticipation of quenching her thirst with apple flavoured water? You're not saying Pinkie camped out overnight just to be first in line for a sip of juice? No, they were clearly waiting for some hard stuff.
Hence the ambiguity in the name is rather convenient. On hearing the word cider we instantly and subconsciously assign it to whatever meaning we like most. In our minds we equate Apple family cider with the best apple derived drink we have ever tasted. Which could be a mug of proper west country scrumpy, or the best freshly pressed, unpasteurised juice, depending on your personal taste. Through the episode we can then relate to the enthusiasm of Rainbow Dash and the ponies of Ponyville.
Either way, nothing can quite match a mug of really good cider. This is the apple in its most allegorical role as the symbol of temptation. If there's no alcohol in it, it must contain something even better—some sort of Apple family zest produced by earth pony magic. And no doubt in the magical land of Equestria, you can drink as much as you like and still wake up the following morning feeling fine.
Back on Earth—drink responsibly.
Well, I have heard only the hard stuff foams up.
Of course it's not supposed to be, but it's fun to pretend.
Probably non-alcoholic.
I would say that they produce varieties with all sorts of alcohol content, ranging from non-alcoholic to very hard indeed. Remember that they live in a mid Industrial Age civilization, and the notion that minors shouldn't drink (indeed, that the drinking age should be higher than the age of majority, only gained dominance in our culture within the last half-century (in other words, when we became an Information Age civilization). We once instituted complete Prohibition, but that worked badly and as a result didn't last even a single generation.
2568438 All types of cider form, it's just the nature of the beverage n_n
2568525
I've never seen non alcoholic cider foam
I actually prefer the non-alcoholic varieties particularly the stuff they make at the local Cider Mill. I think it is clear that they are drinking soft cider but I could see them also saving some for hard cider to sell later in the year.
Early on you sell the non-alcoholic cider and then later in the year (for instance the summer) you could sell the fermented cider until the regular cider is ready in the fall. It would allow AJ to get two products on the market at different times.
2568535 Do you not shake it before you drink it?
I admit it doesn't foam as much as the alcoholic stuff, but it does get a head on it. You can get carbonated non-alcoholic cider too.
I figured there was some form of earth pony magic that catalyzed fermentation, and that the Flimflam brothers were able to recreate it alchemically. (They'd already built an AI capable of determining apple quality; it doesn't seem that far-fetched.)
And there has to be something special about the stuff to get this reaction:
derpicdn.net/img/view/2012/6/25/19961__safe_animated_cheerilee_faic_drunk_cider_animation+error_the+super+speedy+cider+squeezy+6000_great+moments+in+animation.gif