Thank you for your interest in the Valhalla: The Mead-ing Of Life organized by Andrew and Sarah Pattisall, 31 Creek Dr Delta, PA 17314.

You only need to register your information once and can return to this site to enter more brews or edit the brews you've entered. You can even pay your entry fees online if you wish.

Entry Registration is Open

51 entries have been added to the system as of 12:17 AM, EST, Wednesday, January 21, 2026. There is a limit of 250 entries for this competition.

38 paid entries are in the system as of 12:17 AM, EST, Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

To add your entries into the system, please proceed through the registration process or log in if you already have an account.

Judge and Steward Registration is Open

If you have not registered and are willing to be a volunteer, please register.

If you have registered, log in and then choose Edit Account from the My Account menu indicated by the icon on the top menu.

Rules

Eligibility & Sanctioning

This competition is an AHA- and BJCP-sanctioned event and is open to any amateur meadmaker age 21 or older.

All entries must be handcrafted, made with ingredients available to the general public, and produced using private equipment by hobbyist meadmakers. The use of commercial facilities, Brew-On-Premises operations, or commercial supplies is not permitted.

Entry Submission & Deadlines

• Shipping Deadline: February 27th. Mailed entries must be received at the mailing location by this deadline. Please allow sufficient time for shipping.
• Drop-off Deadline: February 28th. Drop-off entries will be picked up from drop-off locations the day after the drop-off deadline.

The competition organizers are not responsible for:

• Miscategorized entries
• Mailed entries not received by the entry deadline
• Entries that arrive damaged

Bottles will not be returned to entrants.

Entry Limits & Category Rules

Each entrant may submit up to EIGHT (8) entries total.

Entrants are not limited to one entry per category (Traditional, Fruit, Spiced, or Specialty) or subcategory (e.g., Dry Traditional, Semi-Sweet Traditional, Sweet Traditional), provided entries within the same subcategory are clearly unique.

• Example: A meadmaker may enter two Sweet Traditional meads—one with clear Orange Blossom character and one with clear Star Thistle character.
• Not allowed: Entering the same mead multiple times with only differences in carbonation or sweetness within the same substyle. These entries are not considered clearly unique.

Judging Standards & Process

The primary goal of the competition is qualified, high-quality judging. All entries will be evaluated using the 2015 BJCP Mead Style Guidelines.

Entries will be scored and ranked within their category based on consensus scoring. Each judging flight will include at least one BJCP judge.

Category Management

The competition committee reserves the right to combine styles or subcategories as needed based on entry volume to ensure efficient judging.

Every effort will be made to combine similar styles. All entries in combined categories will be judged according to the style in which they were originally entered.

Best of Show

Best of Show will be determined by a Best of Show panel through a second round of judging among the top category winners.

Scoresheets & Awards

Scoresheets will be made available online only; no paper copies will be mailed.

Medals will be awarded for:

• First, Second, and Third Place in each category
• Best of Show
• Two Best of Show runners-up

2026 Judging Format & Schedule

All judging for this competition will take place in person and will be conducted according to established BJCP standards to ensure consistent, high-quality evaluations.

Judging sessions will be held on March 6–7 and March 13–14. The award ceremony will take place once all judging has concluded on March 14th. 

Entry Acceptance Rules

Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 2

Bottle Requirements

Each entry will consist of two (2) bottles that are void of all identifying information, including labels and embossing.

Printed caps are permitted but must be completely blacked out.

Customized corks with identifying information will result in disqualification.

Preferred bottle types:

• 12 oz capped bottles
• 375 mL corked bottles

Accepted bottle types:

• Corked bottles
• Swing-top bottles

Accepted bottle sizes:

• 6–22 oz (187–750 mL)

Bottles will not be returned to entrants.

Entry Paperwork

All required paperwork must be submitted with each entry and can be printed directly from this website.

Please print at 100% scale (do not use “reduce-to-fit”).

Entry paperwork should be securely attached to the bottles using a rubber band.

Ingredient Disclosure Requirements

Entrants must be thorough and accurate when listing any special ingredients required for judging. Failure to disclose required ingredients may negatively impact judges’ evaluation and scoring.

Honey varietal must be specified if you want judges to consider its character as part of the evaluation.

Competition Officials

You can send an email to any of the following individuals via Contact.

• Andrew Brown — Co-Organizer
• Sarah Pattisall — Co-Organizer

Sponsors

Andrew and Sarah Pattisall is proud to have the following sponsors for the Valhalla: The Mead-ing Of Life.

The Cabin At Muddy Creek

31 Creek Rd Delta, PA 17314

The Cabin at Muddy Creek is a restored historic stone cabin and event space set on scenic acreage along Muddy Creek in Delta, PA. We’re grateful for their generous support as our Venue Sponsor, providing the location for the 2026 Valhalla: The Mead-ing of Life judging sessions and awards ceremony.