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Rules
This competition is BJCP and AHA sanctioned and open to any amateur mead maker age 21 or older.
All shipped entries must be received at the shipping location by the shipping deadline - please allow for shipping time. DO NOT attempt to ship your entries through the United States Postal Service. Also, DO NOT reference the Michigan Mead Cup on the exterior label of your shipped entries. The label should be addressed to Bell's General Store, Attn: Ian on the shipping label. It is also advised that the entry NOT be shipped as ‘perishable’ as that may prompt the shipper to destroy your entry if it cannot be delivered on attempts after business hours. The competition cannot be responsible for a shipping company destroying entries.
All entries will be picked up from drop-off locations the day of the drop-off deadline.
All entries must be handcrafted products, containing ingredients available to the general public, and made using private equipment by hobbyist brewers (i.e., no use of commercial facilities or Brew on Premises operations, supplies, etc.).
The competition organizers are not responsible for mis-categorized entries, mailed entries that are not received by the entry deadline, or entries that arrived damaged.
The competition organizers reserve the right to combine styles and/or substyles for judging and to restructure awards as needed depending upon the quantity and quality of entries.
Qualified judging of all entries is the primary goal of our event. Judges will evaluate and score each entry. The average of the scores will rank each entry in its category. Each flight will have at least one BJCP judge.
There is an entry limit of FIVE entries per person. Mead makers 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 mead maker 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". Michigan Only entries may ALSO be entered in another category. Additional fee and bottles are required for Michigan Only entries. See the description of Michigan Only for further information.
The competition committee reserves the right to combine overall style or substyle categories based on number of entries. All possible effort will be made to combine similar styles. All meads in combined categories will be judged according to the style and substyle in which they were originally entered.
The Best of Show judging will be determined by a Best of Show panel based on a second judging of the top winners. Michigan Only medal winners will advance to the Best of Show round unless there is a duplicate entry in another category also advancing to BOS; in this case, only one of the duplicate entries will advance to BOS. In that case, there will be one less category judged in BOS.
Bottles will not be returned to entrants.
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BJCP 2015 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
Thursday, October 13, 2022 12:00 AM, EDT
Morning
Saturday, October 15, 2022 9:30 AM, EDT
Mid-Day
Saturday, October 15, 2022 11:30 AM, EDT
Afternoon
Saturday, October 15, 2022 2:30 PM, EDT
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Best of Show
Best of Show will receive special awards from one or more of our sponsors; more info to come. Please visit our sponsors!
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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. The medal categories are: Michigan Only, Traditional - Dry, Traditional - Semi-Sweet, Traditional - Sweet, Cyser, Pyment, Berry, Stone Fruit, Other Melomel, Fruit and Spice, Spice/Herb/Vegetable, Historical, Braggot, and Experimental. However, specific categories for medals will be determined based upon the number of entries in each category and may be collapsed or combined as appropriate. As an example, Braggot may be moved to another category with every attempt to place those entries in the most appropriate category.
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. In the event the 1st place entry in the Michigan Only category is also advancing to BOS in another category, only ONE advancement will be permitted. In that case, the BOS round will have one less mead judged.
Additional prizes may be awarded to those winners present at the awards ceremony at the discretion of the competition organizers.
Both score sheets and awards will be available for pickup directly following the conclusion of the awards ceremony. Score sheets not picked up will be available for download by the participants; awards will be sent to the winner within two weeks. Results will be posted to the competition web site after the ceremony concludes. Score sheets for entries not awarded a medal will be scanned and downloaded to the registration account held by the entrant. Please assure that your email address is correct when registering!
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Awards Ceremony
Brewery Becker Warehouse
397 Washington St., Brighton, MI 48116
Saturday, October 15, 2022 5:00 PM, EDT
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Circuit Qualification
Awards at the Michigan Mead Cup will qualify for the National Meadmaker of the Year Competition through the American Mead Makers Association. https://mead-makers.org/national-mead-maker-of-the-year
Plus, you can brag to your all of your family and friends about the awesomeness of your meadmaking skills!
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Entries in this category are open to Michigan residents ONLY using ONLY Michigan ingredients (with the exception of yeast, and oak or other wood which may be sourced outside of Michigan). Meads in this category may also be entered in other categories and may be eligible for other medals in other categories; however, in the event the 1st place entry in the Michigan Only category is also advancing to BOS in another category, only ONE advancement will be permitted.
Entry Info: Entrants must specify which Michigan sourced or produced ingredients were used in addition to levels of carbonation, sweetness, and strength.
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. 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 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 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. 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 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 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, providing a description of the mead for judges if no such description is available from the BJCP.
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.
