As of this next Saturday the 19th of May, I'll be starting my 12th mead. I'm at the point now where I'm making adjustments and fine tuning the recipes to get them just the way I think they should be. I'm also considering that I might want to enter them for competition. What I'm looking for is for an expert to tell me how I can improve besides family and friends tell me "it tastes good". But, is putting them into a competition going to give me that? And, what are the costs to entering a mead? How do I do it and who do I contact? I've seen other threads and it seems like if you forget one little thing and you're disqualified. Who has done this and what would I be getting myself into and would it even be worth the effort?
To be judged or not to be judged. That is the question.
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For me the biggest obstacle would be how precious real mead is. I mean it takes so long to make and then real honey is so expensive. I don’t think I’d join a competition because I would then be basically paying someone else to drink my precious mead. The are two reasons I can think of that make sense. 1. I’m going pro and want some medals under my belt to get street cred. 2. I need some recognition for what I believe is really great mead.
Some people would get all bent about how the second reason isn’t valid because you should brew for yourself blah blah, but to me there are a lot worse crimes than wanting a little recognition. It’s not a big motivator for me, but that doesn’t make it an invalid reason. It’s your time and money. Do what you want.
Some people would get all bent about how the second reason isn’t valid because you should brew for yourself blah blah, but to me there are a lot worse crimes than wanting a little recognition. It’s not a big motivator for me, but that doesn’t make it an invalid reason. It’s your time and money. Do what you want.
AZCoolerBrewer,
That's what I'm saying. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg for someone to say, "Your mead sucks." My daughter does that already for free. And, I'm not interested in going pro as in Mesa, Az it's easier to kill someone to steal their license, serve time, pay off any relatives, and get a new name so nobody can find you than get get a new license. I'm just really interested in what advise the pros have for someone like me starting out and how I can improve what I'm doing. Anyway, thanks for the input and stay cool, my northern neighbor.
That's what I'm saying. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg for someone to say, "Your mead sucks." My daughter does that already for free. And, I'm not interested in going pro as in Mesa, Az it's easier to kill someone to steal their license, serve time, pay off any relatives, and get a new name so nobody can find you than get get a new license. I'm just really interested in what advise the pros have for someone like me starting out and how I can improve what I'm doing. Anyway, thanks for the input and stay cool, my northern neighbor.
You'd get the opinion of someone who doesn't know you, and probably (but not necessarily) has more experience drinking mead than your friends and family. But it's still just that judge's opinion.
If that sounds like something you would like to get, go for it. But if you're going to be pissed if you get feedback you disagree with, even feedback that is objectively wrong, then it's probably not worth it.
Judges are just people offering their time to help the competition and learn themselves. They're not necessarily experts.
If that sounds like something you would like to get, go for it. But if you're going to be pissed if you get feedback you disagree with, even feedback that is objectively wrong, then it's probably not worth it.
Judges are just people offering their time to help the competition and learn themselves. They're not necessarily experts.
It's worse when everyone loves your mead, and the judges think it sucks 
I've been entering comps over the last few years, for as you said - getting critique from someone with a more refined palate than mine. I would say that my ciders and cysers have improved as a result of modifying my processes to address the faults that have been reported on my score sheets.
But at the end of the day, it's my tastes (and friends/family) that matters so who cares what some judge thinks? I made a holiday cyser last year that I regret entering in comp because I gave up a precious bottle of something that I thought was great and it scored poorly. You're right, honey is expensive.
I've been entering comps over the last few years, for as you said - getting critique from someone with a more refined palate than mine. I would say that my ciders and cysers have improved as a result of modifying my processes to address the faults that have been reported on my score sheets.
But at the end of the day, it's my tastes (and friends/family) that matters so who cares what some judge thinks? I made a holiday cyser last year that I regret entering in comp because I gave up a precious bottle of something that I thought was great and it scored poorly. You're right, honey is expensive.
BrewnWKopperKat
(Ο_Ο)
For the contests I enter, it's $8-10 per entry, two bottles, plus packing materials, plus shipping costs.
Follow the guidelines, especially the bottle size and capping guidelines, and you'll be OK. My experience is that people who run these contests don't want to DQ your entry - but if the bottle is too tall (and doesn't fit in the case along with the other 11 entries so it can be stacked on with the other cases of entries), they will have to DQ you.
I have a few judges in my homebrew club, and I get a lot better feedback from them than I did in the competitions that I entered. I looked up the following homebrew club near you. You should check them out!
- Route 60 Beer Club
- (480) 241-8303
Shine0n
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I've been thinking the same thing over the last few months, my family and friends love what I do as well as myself but their motivation may be to get free meads. lol
I really like what I make and would like the opinion of someone other than my buds, I believe you have to have thick skin and take their opinions with a smile and get back to the grind stone.
That's why I make 5 gal batches so I have at least 15-5ths so I don't miss one or two.
That judge might not like what you like BUT... 100 more people might love it and a 1000 might buy it just for the "mead" experience.
I love high high ester rums and some puke at the smell of it so make what you like and if it tastes good to you someone will think the same.
You don't have to win a gold medal to have a fine mead, just make it the best way you can and enjoy what you do.
I really like what I make and would like the opinion of someone other than my buds, I believe you have to have thick skin and take their opinions with a smile and get back to the grind stone.
That's why I make 5 gal batches so I have at least 15-5ths so I don't miss one or two.
That judge might not like what you like BUT... 100 more people might love it and a 1000 might buy it just for the "mead" experience.
I love high high ester rums and some puke at the smell of it so make what you like and if it tastes good to you someone will think the same.
You don't have to win a gold medal to have a fine mead, just make it the best way you can and enjoy what you do.
bernardsmith
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I am no expert but I guess I basically think competitions are not about what judges like or dislike. If a competition is based on BCJP guidelines then the judges are judging your entry in light of specific published style guidelines. If you make a mead (or beer or cider) to meet style guidelines (what is a bochet? What is a braggot? What is a melomel? A metheglin? etc) then presumably (but it is not always true) it does not matter a whit whether the judge likes the style or not. She or he may detest braggots but the issue is ONLY how well does your mead represent that style and what - if any flaws are evident that detracts from this style. It is the nameable flaws that make you lose points and not the fact that the judge , say, likes only traditional meads and dismisses any mead made with fruit or those which have more alcohol in them than 12% ABV. Certainly, you might lose a few points if when your mead is opened it gushes all over the table. But that is a nameable flaw and that flaw can only lose you so many points.
Now, if you make mead that you love (and your friends and family love) and you do not care whether your mead is full of flaws then it makes no sense to enter a competition because the ONLY thing you would be looking for is for a bunch of total strangers to tell you how good your mead is and if they said they found these and those flaws you would dismiss their judgement as proof of their ignorance or simply their personal opinion. And in any event you would have absolutely no intention of taking their feedback seriously and incorporating it into the next batch of mead you make.
The whole point about feedback is that if it is well written and you are prepared to take it seriously then it is supposed to help you improve your mead making. Feedback then is not simply telling you that your mead is good or great or undrinkable. Feedback covers such things as how evident the honey is; how clear the mead is; how hot (alcohol) it is; how long the aftertaste lasts; how much everything is in balance... Again, if your meads are so wonderful that feedback is either irrelevant or else shows the ignorance of the judges then sending in entries is a complete waste of time.
In other words, competitions are really not about winning medals or kudos. They are all about feedback. So, bottom line - if you think feedback from qualified BCJP judges is worth the price of entry and the cost of sending off a bottle or two then competitions are useful. If you believe that your meads are incredible or you don't give a hoot whether other people think they are good or not then feedback from judges is not relevant. And that is true too if you know exactly what the flaws in your mead are. You don't need a judge to tell you what you already know.
Which is not to say that every competition is then good. Quite simply some competitions have better qualified judges than others and some competitions are lax on the quality of feedback. So know the reputation of any competition to which you send off an entry.
Now, if you make mead that you love (and your friends and family love) and you do not care whether your mead is full of flaws then it makes no sense to enter a competition because the ONLY thing you would be looking for is for a bunch of total strangers to tell you how good your mead is and if they said they found these and those flaws you would dismiss their judgement as proof of their ignorance or simply their personal opinion. And in any event you would have absolutely no intention of taking their feedback seriously and incorporating it into the next batch of mead you make.
The whole point about feedback is that if it is well written and you are prepared to take it seriously then it is supposed to help you improve your mead making. Feedback then is not simply telling you that your mead is good or great or undrinkable. Feedback covers such things as how evident the honey is; how clear the mead is; how hot (alcohol) it is; how long the aftertaste lasts; how much everything is in balance... Again, if your meads are so wonderful that feedback is either irrelevant or else shows the ignorance of the judges then sending in entries is a complete waste of time.
In other words, competitions are really not about winning medals or kudos. They are all about feedback. So, bottom line - if you think feedback from qualified BCJP judges is worth the price of entry and the cost of sending off a bottle or two then competitions are useful. If you believe that your meads are incredible or you don't give a hoot whether other people think they are good or not then feedback from judges is not relevant. And that is true too if you know exactly what the flaws in your mead are. You don't need a judge to tell you what you already know.
Which is not to say that every competition is then good. Quite simply some competitions have better qualified judges than others and some competitions are lax on the quality of feedback. So know the reputation of any competition to which you send off an entry.
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kl Roosevelt brewer
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I'm kind of new to the Mead making experience I've only made 4 batches starting in January of this year. Certainly my last should be different than the first because of all the reading I've been doing on these forms. I have no idea what real Mead is supposed to taste like but I almost finished my first 5-gallon batch already. Isn't Mead supposed to be aged for a year or so before it's considered drinkable for competition? I have been tinkering with Brewing just about everything and if you like it that seems to be what counts for me. Maple syrup wine is my next project. I received 5 gallons of maple syrup made from the last sap from the tree and going to use the Mead protocols and step feeding processes and see what I come up with. Does anybody have any input on Maple wine
bernardsmith
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Many others may disagree with me but mead needs to be aged as long as it needs. Low ABV meads can be enjoyed after a few weeks. High ABV meads will take longer. Poor protocol will mean that you may need to age the the mead for years and it still may not be enjoyable. The key point is, that much of the myths surrounding mead making has come from the practices that arose when we knew nothing about the science of mead making and protocols were often incredibly poor (like, for example you need to scorch and burn honey to make a bochet. Yeah? Nonsense - sucrose caramelizes at about 230 F and fructose at about 320 F and any smoke that comes from the honey means that you should throw out your burnt offering).
