Mead Amateur Division Competition Rules

By entering the competition, you agree to be bound by the rules. Please read them carefully. Only one entry per each Mead Subcategory.

This is our fifth year doing the judging in house and we want to be sure we have enough judges. We will take new entries on registration day, but PLEASE, PLEASE email us at meadjudge@texasbeekeepers.org no later than October 25th with all the information from the entry form so we can get an idea about how many entries to expect. Our judges can only review so many meads. It is important to have enough judges to get the best results.

  1. Only home-produced amateur meads may be entered.
  2. All meads are required to have Texas honey. The source(s) of the honey or beekeeper name must be declared in the entry description. Entries made with non-Texas honey, or entries without the source(s) of honey disclosed, will be disqualified. All entries become property of the Texas Beekeepers Association. Entries will NOT be returned to entrants under any circumstances.
  3. Entry Fees: a $5 entry fee applies per Subcategory.
  4. Two 12oz or larger bottles are required for evaluation. If entering smaller bottles, three bottles are required to qualify for Best of Show in the Mead Category.
  5. Bottles MUST be accompanied by the registration entry form titled Texas Beekeepers Association Mead Individual Submission Form and declared BJCP style category. It is requested that you print the form from the registration website and affix a completed form to each bottle using rubber bands. (We recommend you put the form in a gallon zip lock bag to protect the document and use rubber bands to attach it to each bottle.) PLEASE DO NOT USE TAPE TO AFFIX LABELS OR DOCUMENTATION!!
  6. The competition is Friday, November 4th, 2022. All entries will be accepted November 3th (Thursday 10:00am to 5:00pm) and November 4th (Friday 8:00am to 10:00am). Entries must be dropped off during the designated time. Entries dropped off the day of judging must be received by 10:00AM. Entries are to be dropped off at the Frank Mayborn Civic & Convention Center 3303 N 3rd St, Temple, TX 76501.
  7. Texas Beekeepers Association is not liable for lost or misplaced drop-off entries.
  8. Entries will be judged against the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines for the category entered. (See #10 for more information.) The competition chairman/secretary, head judge/judges, and stewards will not re-categorize your entry for you. If you enter your mead in the wrong category, it will be judged in the wrong category which will affect your score. If you are unsure what category to enter a mead into, contact the Honey Show Committee at MeadJudge@texasbeekeepers.org.
  9. Be sure to have all your paperwork filled out and attached to each bottle.
  10. Helpful information: https://www.bjcp.org/mead.php.
  11. If you would like to volunteer for the Texas Honey Show send an email to vp@texasbeekeepers.org.

Categories Subcategories
M1. Traditional Mead Honey, water, yeast
M1A. Dry Mead
M1B. Semi-Sweet Mead
M1C. Sweet Mead
M2. Fruit Mead Honey, fruit, water, yeast
M2A. Cyser – apple and honey
M2B. Pyment – grape and honey
M2C. Berry Mead
M2D. Stone Fruit Mead – fruit with a pit and honey
M2E. Melomel – any other fruit combinations not in A-D
M3. Spiced Mead Honey, spices, water, yeast
M3A. Fruit and Spice Mead
M3B. Spice, Herb or Vegetable Mead
M4. Specialty Mead Honey, fruit and/or spices and/or grains, yeast
M4A. Braggot and Honey Beer
M4B. Historical Mead Recipes
M4C. Experimental Mead
Max Points: Judging Criteria for a maximum of 50 points
10 BOUQUET AND AROMA
6 APPEARANCE
24 FLAVOR
10 OVERALL IMPRESSION

Download Texas Honey Show 2022 —Mead Amateur Division Competition Rules as a pdf).