Working.
Please stand by. Press Esc to hide.

For an optimal experience and so that all features and functions execute properly, please enable JavaScript to continue using this site. Otherwise, unexpected behavior will occur.

Account Registration

Registration is closed.

Entry Registration

Entry registration is closed.

Top

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 TEN 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 2023: 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.

Top

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.

M1A Dry Mead M1B Semi-Sweet Mead M1C Sweet Mead
M2C Berry Mead M2A Cyser M2E Melomel
M2B Pyment M2D Stone Fruit Mead M3A Fruit and Spice Mead
M3B Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead M4A Braggot M4C Experimental Mead
M4B Historical Mead   

Top

Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 2

Judging Sessions and Dates

Pre-Judging Session Wednesday Night
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 6:00 PM, EST

Friday Night Pre-Judging Session
Friday, November 17, 2023 7:00 PM, EST

Saturday AM Judging Session
Saturday, November 18, 2023 9:00 AM, EST

Saturday PM Judging Session
Saturday, November 18, 2023 1:00 PM, EST

Top

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.

Top

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.

Top

Circuit Qualification

For 2023, 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

 

Top