Account Registration
You can create your account today through Friday 26 August, 2022 3:00 PM, CDT.
Judges and stewards may register now through Friday 26 August, 2022 3:00 PM, CDT.
Entry Registration
You can add your entries to the system today through Friday 26 August, 2022 5:00 PM, CDT.
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Entry Fees
$10.00 (USD) per entry.
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BJCP 2021 Styles Accepted
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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Per Entrant Limits
Each entrant is limited to 10 entries.
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Pay Entry Fees
After creating your account and adding your entries to the system, you must pay your entry fee(s). Accepted payment methods are:
- Credit/debit card and e-check, via PayPal
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Entry Acceptance Rules
Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 3
Each entry will consist of capped or corked bottles of any style and size. NOTE: We PREFER 12 oz. (375 ml) long neck beer bottles.
THREE BOTTLES ARE RECOMMENDED. Each bottle should be a minimum of 6 ounces (187 ml) but we will accept whatever bottles you send.
There will be 3 rounds of judging including Best Of Show. To help your decision making, you should know that we don't hold partial bottles for subsequent rounds of judging. A fresh bottle IS REQUIRED for each round. If you send fewer than 3 bottles, or inadequate volume you might not win an award.
We recommend inclusion of one 12oz. (or two 6oz.) bottles for use in the Best Of Show judging. The BOS judging panel will be a MINIMUM of 3 judges and is likely to be 5 judges. If a re-pour is needed and you didn't send enough mead, your entry will not be eligible to win. This is YOUR decision. Choose wisely.
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Bottles will not be returned to contest entrants under any circumstances.
All requisite paperwork must be submitted with each entry and can be printed directly from this website. Entry paperwork should be attached to bottles by the method specified on the bottle label.
Be meticulous about noting any special ingredients that must be specified. Failure to note such ingredients may impact the judges' scoring of your entry.
Entries may be disqualified if they contain illicit or unsafe ingredients.
Organizers will review descriptive information. Information that is not relevant to the mead WILL BE REMOVED. Information that could reveal the mead maker to a friendly judge for special treatment or that violates the blind judging standard we adhere to WILL BE REMOVED.
Ingredient information is acceptable if it is not specific to an entrant (i.e. East Elk River backyard honey is not acceptable, Minnesota wildflower honey is acceptable).
If you have questions you may contact us at: info @ valkyrieshorn Dot COM
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NOTE: IF YOU ARE SHIPPING YOUR ENTRIES, THEY *** MUST *** ARRIVE BY 3:00PM ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE SHIPPING WINDOW.
The link provided here may provide some guidance with packaging and shipping. Please know that it is ILLEGAL to ship alcoholic beverages using the US Postal Service. Shipping companies all have different rules - do not declare alcohol unless they specifically permit it to be shipped to a business.
https://youtu.be/aWvs-9f3iV0
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Drop-Off Locations
Entry bottles accepted at our drop-off locations from Friday 5 August, 2022 12:00 PM, CDT through Friday 26 August, 2022 3:00 PM, CDT.
Please pay attention to the notes provided for each drop-off location. There could be earlier deadlines for some drop-off locations listed, particular hours when entries are accepted, certain individuals to leave your entries with, etc. All entrants are responsible for reading the information provided by the organizers for each drop-off location.
Midwest Supplies
5825 Excelsior Blvd. Minneapolis, MN 55416
952-260-4404
*Entries MUST be present by 3:00pm on 08/20/2022
Entries MUST be present by 3:00pm on 08/20/2022
Northern Brewer - Retail
1150 Grand Ave, Saint Paul, MN 55105
651 223 6114
*Entries MUST be present by 3:00pm on 08/20/2022
Entries MUST be present by 3:00pm on 08/20/2022
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Shipping Info
Entry bottles accepted at our shipping location from Friday 5 August, 2022 12:00 PM, CDT through Friday 26 August, 2022 3:00 PM, CDT.
Ship entries to:
NB Warehouse
2221 Highway 36 West, Saint Paul, MN 55113, United States
Packing and Shipping
Carefully pack your entries in a sturdy box. Line the inside of your carton with a plastic trash bag. Partition and pack each bottle with adequate packaging material. Please do not over pack!
Write clearly: Fragile. This Side Up. on the package. Please only use bubble wrap as your packing material.
Enclose each of your bottle labels in a small zip-top bag before attaching to their respective bottles. This way it makes it possible for the organizer to identify specifically which entry has broken if there is damage during shipment.
Every reasonable effort will be made to contact entrants whose bottles have broken to make arrangements for sending replacement bottles.
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Judging Sessions and Dates
Prejudging in-person 09/06 (if needed)
Tuesday 6 September, 2022 6:00 PM, CDT
Prejudging in-person 09/07 (if needed)
Wednesday 7 September, 2022 6:00 PM, CDT
Prejudging in-person 09/08 (if needed)
Thursday 8 September, 2022 6:00 PM, CDT
COMMERCIAL MEAD - WE NEED YOU TO SIGN UP ON THE COMMERCIAL SITE PLEASE!
Friday 9 September, 2022 12:00 AM, CDT
Home mead judging 9/9 6:00pm
Friday 9 September, 2022 6:00 PM, CDT
Home mead judging 9/10 9:30am
Saturday 10 September, 2022 9:30 AM, CDT
Home mead judging 9/10 12:30pm
Saturday 10 September, 2022 12:30 PM, CDT
Home mead judging 9/10 2:30pm
Saturday 10 September, 2022 2:30 PM, CDT
Home mead judging 9/10 4:30pm
Saturday 10 September, 2022 4:30 PM, CDT
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Best of Show
Best of Show will receive the Valkyries Horn!
This is a drinking horn with the competition logo, Best Of Show, and year engraved into the surface, along with a horn stand for display.
The Best Of Show winner will be decided by a panel of very experienced judges.
Good Luck!
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Awards
INFORMATION FOR AWARDS ATTENDEES AND VOLUNTEERS:
We will be at the Northern Brewer Headquarters in Roseville on Saturday September 10th:
7pm awards
Volunteers and Entrants are encouraged to attend the awards ceremony.
CDC and local government guidelines will apply to in-person attendance at the time of the awards ceremony.
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Places will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each category/table, metal medallions and ribbons will be awarded to all placements.
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.
Additional prizes may be awarded to those winners present at the awards ceremony at the discretion of the competition organizers.
Score sheets should be available for download after the Best of Show and awards announcements by 9 am on Sunday morning but this is NOT guaranteed. They MIGHT be available earlier. Awards will be mailed to winning participants. Scoresheets will ONLY be available on-line through the competition download feature.
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Awards Ceremony
Northern Brewer Warehouse
2221 Highway 36 West, Roseville, MN 55113
Saturday 10 September, 2022 7:00 PM, CDT
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Circuit Qualification
This competition is part of the American Mead Makers Association - Mead Maker Of The Year.
It is your responsibility to read and agree to the rules for the MMOTY circuit if you choose to enter. Information can be found here:
https://mead-makers.org/national-mead-maker-of-the-year/
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Make a mead with ingredients you gathered from the wild. Ingredients must be gathered by you or a co-meadmaker. Commercial purchases and home grown ingredients are not permitted (honey/yeast are the exceptions). NO Mushrooms. No Federally illegal or restricted substances. No harmful ingredients.
Entry Info: You must specify:
Carbonation level (still, petillant, sparkling)
Sweetness (dry, semi, sweet)
Strength (hydromel, standard, sack)
Ingredients you foraged - i.e. what is the special nature of this mead made with foraged ingredients. Failure to explain your foraged ingredients will reduce your score and may keep your mead from advancing.
Regardless of the ingredient choices you made, the mead should be balanced, enjoyable and harmonious.
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.