A short time back Andrew Lea (Author of Craft Cider Making) made an observation in response to a comment from a past member of his forum who was getting back into making cider,
"Yes there are still a very few of us from the old days here. But the daily traffic is not what it once was. I think Facebook and its like have supplanted these more measured discussion groups".
This might be rattling the cage a bit (or at least encouraging some discussion), but it occurred to me that in the five years or so that I have been involved with HBT, the same might be happening here, so the question... is interest in craft cider making (and cider in general) starting to wane?
HBT traffic has been a bit quiet lately, and because today is an "inside day" for me (i.e. rain and thunderstorms), I decided to scratch through the forum to see if the same is happening here. A quick look at the cider-season over the past years (let's call it September and October) does suggest that new post volume has seen a bit of a fall off, especially since the world was turned upside down with Covid.
The number of new posts in the "cider season" has seen a steady fall of about 50% from over 110 five years ago to 60 or so this year. Are there fewer people making their own proper cider now? Is it easier to just go and buy some?
What do people think. Has the proliferation of ciders hitting the market, especially from global brewers who seem to be buying up old cider brands, made it too easy for the general public to access "cider". Is alcopop cider (AJC, water, yeast, filtration, sweetener, C02 under pressure, stick it in a bottle and off you go) the accepted product now? Are the true craft cider makers (us) becoming a diminishing breed?
All comments and views are welcome, especially from those involved in making cider as a hobby or trying to make a living from producing cider, selling supplies and equipment or simply involved in competitions and judging... Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war in support of proper cider.
Cheers!
"Yes there are still a very few of us from the old days here. But the daily traffic is not what it once was. I think Facebook and its like have supplanted these more measured discussion groups".
This might be rattling the cage a bit (or at least encouraging some discussion), but it occurred to me that in the five years or so that I have been involved with HBT, the same might be happening here, so the question... is interest in craft cider making (and cider in general) starting to wane?
HBT traffic has been a bit quiet lately, and because today is an "inside day" for me (i.e. rain and thunderstorms), I decided to scratch through the forum to see if the same is happening here. A quick look at the cider-season over the past years (let's call it September and October) does suggest that new post volume has seen a bit of a fall off, especially since the world was turned upside down with Covid.
The number of new posts in the "cider season" has seen a steady fall of about 50% from over 110 five years ago to 60 or so this year. Are there fewer people making their own proper cider now? Is it easier to just go and buy some?
What do people think. Has the proliferation of ciders hitting the market, especially from global brewers who seem to be buying up old cider brands, made it too easy for the general public to access "cider". Is alcopop cider (AJC, water, yeast, filtration, sweetener, C02 under pressure, stick it in a bottle and off you go) the accepted product now? Are the true craft cider makers (us) becoming a diminishing breed?
All comments and views are welcome, especially from those involved in making cider as a hobby or trying to make a living from producing cider, selling supplies and equipment or simply involved in competitions and judging... Cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war in support of proper cider.
Cheers!