[kgs]

Has there been a study of who uses the AHA Forum and how this parallels or varies from the broader homebrewing community? It's really just idle curiosity. It seems to me to be a mix of homebrewing first-timers and aficionados, but I'm curious about the size of the middle band on the Forum (occasional brewer, non-competitive; not sure what that would be called, maybe casual hobbyist).

[denny]

I believe maybe Gary has some data about that.  Maybe...

[klickitat jim]

Just an observation not based on taking notes or charting stats

Each fall several newish brewers drop by with a question. Very few of those post more than two or three times. Occasionally one sticks around.

Probably the vast majority of forum members don't post, or haven't in a long time.

The core group of daily posters, which is maybe 25 people?, seem to be also pretty active brewers. Some are pros. A few own breweries. A few are notorious home brew living legends, authors, speakers. Most of the core group are consistently brewing above average beer and in multiple styles. Some brew consistently awesome beer. All of us are actively learning, regardless of level of accomplishment.

Life outside the brewery, a lot are technology pros, engineers, and use some form of science at the day job. A few are from all walks of life with no discernable pattern related to brewing.

Its hard to say how the forum reflects regular average home brewers, if it does at all. I suspect it's not the same, in that by default an internet forum may atract more desk job techy folks. But I do suspect that if we could line up every home brewer in the US that at least half are one and done. Someone bought them a kit, or they did out of curiosity, and they either never got around to it, or never brewed a second time. The percentage who brew at least monthly and for multiple years... very few.

[norcaljp]

I'd consider myself a more average brewer. I'm not a new brewer (relatively speaking) but I also don't have the depth of experience that some of the regular posters here really have. There's just not a ton of posts where I feel I can give a unique perspective based upon my own experience.

I read the forum pretty regularly, but don't post too much. I do go in spurts though. Mostly I don't post often because I know there are others on the board who will likely post that have much more experience with which to answer questions. In general I prefer not to answer something unless I've personally experienced it.

If I haven't experienced it, I try and call that out. Since there's usually somebody who responds and has the direct experience, those sorts of posts don't provide any real value.

[RPIScotty]

I can say that with a limited amount of brew sessions to my credit, I can't be counted in the same circles as some of the posters here, practically speaking.

What I really dig about brewing is the research, planning and learning from other Brewers. My Engineering training gave me an appreciation for investigating a topic and understanding how it works before diving in.

I like it here because the "fluff" and "is my beer ruined?" discussions that gum up the other forums are absent here. The content output is generally lower but if higher quality.

This forum is a great place for frequent and, like me, not so frequent Brewers because it serves a dynamic, almost academic environment where we all learn.

It's like a great course on brewing that never ends.


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[duboman]

I believe maybe Gary has some data about that.  Maybe...

I seem to remember the results of a survey being posted but IIRC it had more to do with the AHA as a whole, not just the forum.

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[kgs]

I believe maybe Gary has some data about that.  Maybe...

I seem to remember the results of a survey being posted but IIRC it had more to do with the AHA as a whole, not just the forum.

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There's a nice high-level infographic here:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/membership/homebrewing-stats/

I'm guessing there's more detail available. The delta between the Forum crowd and the general AHA crowd would be interesting (to me, anyway). 

One good outcome of moving from the TechTalk discussion list to the Forum is the threading, which allows posters to cluster in affinity groups.

[flbrewer]

I've been pretty active on her for a few years and can tell you that the biggest difference between users on this forum vs. others is the no-bull$hit factor. People are considerate, helpful, and know what they are talking about here. Other forums will either provide you with a no-consensus answer or will be riddled with immature comments.  Just my .02.

[duboman]

I've been pretty active on her for a few years and can tell you that the biggest difference between users on this forum vs. others is the no-bull$hit factor. People are considerate, helpful, and know what they are talking about here. Other forums will either provide you with a no-consensus answer or will be riddled with immature comments.  Just my .02.

I'll second this! There is a huge level of respect and understanding here unlike other forums and everyone is treated as an equal, regardless of experience level

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[denny]

I've been pretty active on her for a few years and can tell you that the biggest difference between users on this forum vs. others is the no-bull$hit factor. People are considerate, helpful, and know what they are talking about here. Other forums will either provide you with a no-consensus answer or will be riddled with immature comments.  Just my .02.

I'll second this! There is a huge level of respect and understanding here unlike other forums and everyone is treated as an equal, regardless of experience level

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Speaking on behalf of all the mods and the AHA, I'm really pleased to hear this. We all work hard to keep it like that.

[HoosierBrew]

I've been pretty active on her for a few years and can tell you that the biggest difference between users on this forum vs. others is the no-bull$hit factor. People are considerate, helpful, and know what they are talking about here. Other forums will either provide you with a no-consensus answer or will be riddled with immature comments.  Just my .02.

I'll second this! There is a huge level of respect and understanding here unlike other forums and everyone is treated as an equal, regardless of experience level

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Speaking on behalf of all the mods and the AHA, I'm really pleased to hear this. We all work hard to keep it like that.

+1.  Pretty much everybody here takes it on themselves to keep things civil, informative, and helpful to new brewers and high timers. That's a pretty cool thing !

[Hickory]

I'd consider myself a more average brewer. I'm not a new brewer (relatively speaking) but I also don't have the depth of experience that some of the regular posters here really have. There's just not a ton of posts where I feel I can give a unique perspective based upon my own experience.

I read the forum pretty regularly, but don't post too much. I do go in spurts though. Mostly I don't post often because I know there are others on the board who will likely post that have much more experience with which to answer questions. In general I prefer not to answer something unless I've personally experienced it.

If I haven't experienced it, I try and call that out. Since there's usually somebody who responds and has the direct experience, those sorts of posts don't provide any real value.

This 100%. I'm on the forum everyday, always reading and trying to learn something new. I'm fortunate enough to have a job with down time and I'm usually here or reading a book. I only have 2 years brewing experience, and only 2 recipes I've designed myself so not a lot of advanced knowledge, but I'll chime in if I feel I can can contribute.


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