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Rules
This competition is an AHA and BJCP sanctioned event and open to any amateur meadmaker age 21 or older.
All mailed entries must be received at the mailing location by the shipping deadline. Please allow for shipping time.
All entries will be picked up from drop-off locations the day after the drop-off deadline.
All entries must be handcrafted products, containing ingredients available to the general public, and made using private equipment by hobbyist meadmakers (i.e. no use of commercial facilities or Brew-On-Premises operations, supplies, etc.).
The competition organizers are not responsible for miscategorized entries, mailed entries that are not received by the entry deadline, or entries that arrived damaged.
Qualified judging of all entries is the primary goal of our event. Judges will evaluate and score each entry against the 2015 BJCP Mead Style Guidelines. The consensus of the scores will rank each entry in its category. Each flight will have at least one BJCP judge. That being said, historically speaking, almost all of judges are BJCP-certified and half have their mead certification.
There is an entry limit of SIX entries per person. Entrants are NOT limited to one entry in each category (Traditional, Fruit, Spiced or Specialty) or subcategory (for example: Dry Traditional, Semi-sweet Traditional, Sweet Traditional) as long as the meads entered in the same subcategory are clearly unique.
- For example, a meadmaker may enter two Sweet Traditional meads, one with clear Orange Blossom character and one with clear Star Thistle character. Entering the same mead with different carbonation or sweetness levels in the same substyle is not allowed and does not qualify as "clearly unique".
The competition committee reserves the right to combine overall style or sub-categories based on number of entries for judging organization purposes. Every effort will be made to combine similar styles. All meads in combined categories will be judged according to the style they were originally entered in.
The Best of Show judging will be determined by a Best of Show panel based on a second judging of the top winners.
Bottles will not be returned to entrants.
For 2024: Safety of our judges and stewards continues to be our primary concern with Covid still lurking around. If possible and safe, some and potentially all judging may occur in-person.
If this can't happen in whole or in part, entries will be distributed to judges who will judge them at the same time over their preferred videoconference software of choice. Every effort will be made to ensure our normal high standards of judging quality.
Scoresheets will be available on this website only; no paper copies will be mailed.
Medals will be awarded to first, second, and third-place winners in each category, as well as Best Of Show and two runners-up.
Due to the difficulty of obtaining and distributing prizes during COVID, prizes may not be awarded along with medals. This is still under consideration, and this page will be updated accordingly. That being said, it is the organizer's intent to provide prizes for 1st place winners like in years ago.
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BJCP 2021 Judging Styles
If a style's name is hyperlinked, it has specific entry requirements. Select or tap on the name to view the subcategory's requirements.
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Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 2
Judging Sessions and Dates
Pre-Judging Session Wednesday Night
Wednesday, December 11, 2024 6:00 PM, EST
Friday Night Pre-Judging Session
Friday, December 13, 2024 7:00 PM, EST
Saturday AM Pre-Judging Session
Saturday, December 14, 2024 9:00 AM, EST
Saturday PM Pre-Judging Session
Saturday, December 14, 2024 1:00 PM, EST
Pre-Judging Session Wednesday Night
Wednesday, December 18, 2024 7:00 PM, EST
Friday Night Pre-Judging Session
Friday, December 20, 2024 7:00 PM, EST
Saturday AM Judging Session
Saturday, December 28, 2024 9:00 AM, EST
Saturday PM Judging Session
Saturday, December 28, 2024 1:00 PM, EST
Saturday AM Judging Session
Friday, January 17, 2025 9:00 AM, EST
Saturday PM Judging Session
Saturday, January 18, 2025 1:00 PM, EST
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Best of Show
The 1st place entry in each category will advance to the Best of Show (BOS) round with a single, overall Best of Show mead selected. 1st and 2nd runner-up will also be awarded.
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Awards
The awards ceremony will take place once judging is completed.
Medals will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each category/table.
The 1st place entry in each category will advance to the Best of Show (BOS) round with a single, overall Best of Show mead selected.
Results will be posted to the competition web site after the ceremony concludes.
Score sheets will be scanned and uploaded the following week. Awards may be available for pick up that night after the ceremony concludes (details TBD). Awards will be mailed to participants if they are not present.
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Circuit Qualification
For 2024, Valhalla: The Meading of Life is 1 out of 5 legs of the National Mead Maker of the Year (NMMY) award sponsored by the Amateur Mead Makers Association (AMMA). Further details for the competition can be found via the link above.
QUALIFYING COMPETITIONS
Qualifying competitions are rotated each year, to ensure a broad judging pool.
Here is the list in place for the race:
Mazer Cup International
Valkyrie Horn
Valhalla
Michigan Mead Cup
Domras Cup
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Similar in balance, body, finish and flavor intensity to a dry white wine, with a pleasant mixture of subtle honey character, soft fruity esters, and clean alcohol. Complexity, harmony, and balance of sensory elements are most desirable, with no inconsistencies in color, aroma, flavor or aftertaste. The proper balance of sweetness, acidity, alcohol, and honey character is the essential final measure of any mead.
Entry Info: Entry Instructions: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level and strength. Sweetness is assumed to be DRY in this category. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties.
Similar in balance, body, finish and flavor intensity to a semisweet (or medium-dry) white wine, with a pleasant mixture of honey character, light sweetness, soft fruity esters, and clean alcohol. Complexity, harmony, and balance of sensory elements are most desirable, with no inconsistencies in color, aroma, flavor or aftertaste. The proper balance of sweetness, acidity, alcohol, and honey character is the essential final measure of any mead.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level and strength. Sweetness is assumed to be SEMI-SWEET in this category. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties.
Similar in balance, body, finish and flavor intensity to a well-made dessert wine (such as Sauternes), with a pleasant mixture of honey character, residual sweetness, soft fruity esters, and clean alcohol. Complexity, harmony, and balance of sensory elements are most desirable, with no inconsistencies in color, aroma, flavor or aftertaste. The proper balance of sweetness, acidity, alcohol, and honey character is the essential final measure of any mead.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level and strength. Sweetness is assumed to be SWEET in this category. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties.
In well-made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Different types of fruit can result in widely different characteristics; allow for a variation in the final product.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MUST specify the varieties of fruit used. A mead made with both berries and non-berry fruit (including apples and grapes) should be entered as a Melomel. A berry mead that is spiced should be entered as a Fruit and Spice Mead. A berry mead containing other ingredients should be entered as an Experimental Mead.
In well-made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Some of the best strong examples have the taste and aroma of an aged Calvados (apple brandy from northern France), while subtle, dry versions can taste similar to many fine white wines. There should be an appealing blend of the fruit and honey character but not necessarily an even balance. Generally a good tannin-sweetness balance is desired, though very dry and very sweet examples do exist.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MAY specify the varieties of apple used; if specified, a varietal character will be expected. Products with a relatively low proportion of honey are better entered as a Specialty Cider. A spiced cyser should be entered as a Fruit and Spice Mead. A cyser with other fruit should be entered as a Melomel. A cyser with additional ingredients should be entered as an Experimental mead.
In well-made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Different types of fruit can result in widely different characteristics; allow for a variation in the final product.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MUST specify the varieties of fruit used. A melomel that is spiced should be entered as a Fruit and Spice Mead. A melomel containing other ingredients should be entered as an Experimental Mead. Melomels made with either apples or grapes as the only fruit source should be entered as Cysers and Pyments, respectively. Melomels with apples or grapes, plus other fruit should be entered in this category, not Experimental.
In well-made examples of the style, the grape is both distinctively vinous and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. White and red versions can be quite different, and the overall impression should be characteristic of the type of grapes used and suggestive of a similar variety wine. There should be an appealing blend of the fruit and honey character but not necessarily an even balance. Generally a good tannin-sweetness balance is desired, though very dry and very sweet examples do exist.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MAY specify the varieties of grape used; if specified, a varietal character will be expected. A spiced pyment (hippocras) should be entered as a Fruit and Spice Mead. A pyment made with other fruit should be entered as a Melomel. A pyment with other ingredients should be entered as an Experimental Mead.
In well-made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Different types of fruit can result in widely different characteristics; allow for a variation in the final product.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MUST specify the varieties of fruit used. A stone fruit mead that is spiced should be entered as a Fruit and Spice Mead. A stone fruit mead that contains non-stone fruit should be entered as a Melomel. A stone fruit mead that contains other ingredients should be entered as an Experimental Mead.
In well-made examples of the style, the fruits and spices are both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Different types of fruits and spices can result in widely different characteristics; allow for significant variation in the final product.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MUST specify the types of spices used, (although well-known spice blends may be referred to by common name, such as apple pie spices). Entrants MUST specify the types of fruits used. If only combinations of spices are used, enter as a Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead. If only combinations of fruits are used, enter as a Melomel. If other types of ingredients are used, enter as an Experimental Mead.
In well-made examples of the style, the spices are both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Different types of spices can result in widely different characteristics; allow for a variation in the final product.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MUST specify the types of spices used (although well-known spice blends may be referred to by common name, such as apple pie spices)
A harmonious blend of mead and beer, with the distinctive characteristics of both. A wide range of results are possible, depending on the base style of beer, variety of honey and overall sweetness and strength. Beer flavors tend to somewhat mask typical honey flavors found in other meads. and honey, although the specific balance is open to creative interpretation by brewers.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MAY specify the base style or beer or types of malt used. Products with a relatively low proportion of honey should be entered in the Spiced Beer category as a Honey Beer.
This mead should exhibit the character of all of the ingredients in varying degrees, and should show a good blending or balance between the various flavor elements. Whatever ingredients are included, the result should be identifiable as a honey-based fermented beverage.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MUST specify the special nature of the mead, whether it is a combination of existing styles, an experimental mead, or some other creation. Any special ingredients that impart an identifiable character MAY be declared.
This mead should exhibit the character of all of the ingredients in varying degrees, and should show a good blending or balance between the various flavor elements. Whatever ingredients are included, the result should be identifiable as a honey-based fermented beverage.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MUST specify the special nature of the mead, providing a description of the mead for judges if no such description is available from the BJCP.
