NEW YORK – CNBC reports that cider brands such as Boston Beer's Angry Orchard and Woodchuck Cider are seeing the effects of more competition and consumers willing to try out other niche categories such as hard sodas.

While the holiday months could rekindle cider sales growth, notes CNBC, beer industry experts say trends are not encouraging. There is hope that the November and December holidays may rekindle cider sales growth, but industry experts say recent trends are not encouraging and that seasonal offers and new flavors may be a better strategy.

Boston Beer CEO Martin Roper told analysts that the company is "positive about the long-term cider category potential, but short-term growth is less certain,” according to CNBC. "When we do drink research, we get very positive feedback on the aggregates of cider, the refreshment of the sort of all-natural element of it, the gluten-free element of it and sort of associations with the farm or orchard that cider brings," Roper said.

Total U.S. cider sales were down 3.4% in the 13 weeks that ended November 7, and the rate of decline accelerated to about 7% over the past month, according to Nielsen. Four and five years ago, the rate of growth was in the strong triple-digits. Even a year ago, the pace of growth was nearly 50%, writes CNBC.

Hard sodas such as Small Town Brewery's Not Your Father's Root Beer (distributed by Pabst Brewing) are enticing consumers who are willing to try out new products and flavors. CNBC notes that the category will get even more crowded when MillerCoors introduces Henry's Hard Soda nationwide in January and Anheuser-Busch InBev launches its Best Damned Root Beer. (Read more on beer trends in the November NACS Magazine’s Category Close-Up.)