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MachineShopBrewing · 03-15-2011, 02:11 PM

Well, I hope I get my scoresheets back today. Sounds like they have been arriving for some people.

Ace, I hate that when then don't list any flaws and then give a bad score. I have seen a lot of times where that happens. If you are going to ding me for something, then you damn well better tell me what you are dinging me for. I am sure it is mostly judge inexperience. I am sure mead judging is even worse than the beer categories.

MachineShopBrewing · 03-15-2011, 10:01 PM

No scoresheets for me today. They must be sending out a few at a time. Not sure why it is taking this long.

**Randar** · 03-16-2011, 01:11 AM

Got my score sheets yesterday. Another mixed bag.

As usual, one judge decides there is peat malt in a Scottish 80/- that has none and decides to mark against it. Someone needs to teach these judges a little of the yeast and water profile for the given styles before they judge contests. I know they volunteer, it's just disappointing when judges insist things are there when they are in fact not there.

**Brewkowski** · 03-16-2011, 01:36 AM

Got my score sheets too, apparently my medium sweetness mead was too sweet, even though the gravity and specs hit right in the middle of Medium mead specs. That's judging though, I guess. One jude didn't fill out the bottom section about how it fits the Classic Style, Technical Merit, Intangibles, not sure if that's normal or not, and they were a non-certified judge that said I should look at my sanitation. That bugs me because I'm pretty anal about that. It also did seem like the judges were imparting more of their personal desires for the mead, but maybe that happens more since cysers have a very broad guideline description. Oh well, 25.5.

**kegtoe** · 03-16-2011, 03:34 AM

i sent in a few beers, got my results back today. the same beers reviewed consistantly worse then when i submitted to the upper mississipi mash out. But that the fun of this hobbby. everyone has their own opinoin.

i felt that my amercan amber was judged more as an american IPA by the comments these guys gave. Sounded like they expected the beer to be really really hoppy

**Ace_Club** · 03-16-2011, 01:24 PM

I did talk to some friends who are judges/training to be judges and got this advice for meads:

Just be aware that with meads, hedonism is an important factor. If a dry melomel is what you're going for, then so be it, just don't expect it to score well relative to others that may be semi-dry or sweet or whatever. It's never as simple as black and white with mead. Dryness can be perceived as a flaw, particularly with a raspberry melomel that is utilizing a tart fruit that dries out and adds a tannic character. Mead judging is a very different beast than beer judging, at any rate.