-
25. MEAD
25A. Traditional Mead
Aroma:
Honey aroma should dominate, which may be sweet and may express the aroma of flower nectar. Aromas produced during fermentation, such as fruity esters and alcohol, may also be present.
Appearance:
Clarity may be good to brilliant. Carbonated examples will show active evidence of dissolved gas but no head is expected. Color may range from pale straw to deep amber.
Flavor:
The flavor of honey should be featured and may include residual sweetness. Any additives, such as acidity or tannin, should enhance the honey flavor and lend balance to the overall character of the mead.
Mouthfeel:
Smooth texture. Most will be wine-like, with the warming presence of alcohol and sense of medium body. Sensations of a cloying or astringent character should be avoided.
Comments:
A mead made primarily from honey, water and yeast. Meads which feature the character of a blended honey or a blend of honeys. For meads made from a single variety of money see below "B, Varietal Honey Traditional Mead." While some oxidation of mead is OK and can actually lend useful complexity to the mead, over oxidation as exhibited by sherry-like aroma and/or taste should be avoided. Phenols produced by high temperature fermentation are also to be avoided. Entrants must specify whether the entry is still or sparkling mead. Entrants must also indicate whether the mead is dry, semi-sweet or sweet.
Vital Statistics:
Effective OG: 1.070-1.120+
IBUs: N/A FG: 0.995-1.025
SRM: 1-16 ABV: 7.5-15+%
25B. Varietal Honey Traditional Mead
Aroma:
Honey aroma should dominate, which may be sweet and may express the aroma of flower nectar. Aromas produced during fermentation, such as fruity esters and alcohol, may also be present. The particular Varietal honey aroma (such as orange blossoms for orange blossom honey) should be evident.
Appearance:
Clarity may be good to brilliant. Carbonated examples will show active evidence of dissolved gas but no head is expected. Color may range from pale straw to deep amber.
Flavor:
The flavor of honey should be featured and may include residual sweetness. The distinctive taste of the Varietal honey should be showcased. Any additives, such as acidity or tannin, should enhance the honey flavor and lend balance to the overall character of the mead.
Mouthfeel:
Smooth texture. Most will be wine-like, with the warming presence of alcohol and sense of medium body. Sensations of a cloying or astringent character should be avoided.
Comments:
Mead made from honey from a particular flower source. The brewer must name the varietal honey. Note that the character of a varietal honey will be identifiable as distinct to the source, but may not resemble the source. Orange-blossom honey has the character of orange blossoms, not oranges. Blackberry honey is only distantly like blackberries, although it is an identifiable character. While some oxidation of mead is OK and can actually lend useful complexity to the mead, over oxidation as exhibited by sherry-like aroma and/or taste should be avoided. Phenols produced by high temperature fermentation are also to be avoided. Entrants must specify whether the entry is still or sparkling mead. Entrants must also specify whether the entry is dry, semi-sweet or sweet.
Vital Statistics:
Effective OG: 1.070-1.120+
IBUs: N/A FG: 0.995-1.025
SRM: 1-16 ABV: 7.5-15+
25C. Cyser (Apple Melomel)
A mead made with the addition of apples or apple juice. Traditionally, cysers are made by the addition of honey to apple juice without additional water.
Aroma:
Should have distinct apple character with a pronounced honey aroma, which may be sweet and may express the aroma of flower nectar. Aromas produced during fermentation, such as fruity esters, low levels of sulfur and alcohol, may also be present.
Appearance:
Clarity may be good to brilliant. Carbonated examples will show active evidence of dissolved gas but no head is expected. Color may range from pale straw to deep amber.
Flavor:
Should have distinct apple character but should also have a balanced honey character. The Apple character may supply tart acidity to cut the honey sweetness, so one may notice tart acidity first and residual sweetness thereafter. Any additives, such as acidity or tannin, should enhance the honey flavor and lend balance to the overall character of the cyser. In well made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the sugar-acid balance of the mead. Some of the best examples have the taste and aroma of an aged Calvados (apple brandy from northern France).
Mouthfeel:
Smooth texture. Most will be wine-like, with the warming presence of alcohol and sense of medium body. Sensations of a cloying or astringent character should be avoided.
Comments:
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. Entrants must specify whether the entry is still or sparkling cyser. Entrants must also specify whether the entry is dry, semi-sweet or sweet.
Vital Statistics:
Effective OG: 1.070-1.120+
IBUs: N/A FG: 0.995-1.025
SRM: 1-16 ABV: 7.5-15+%
25D. Pyment (Grape Melomel)
A mead made with the addition of grapes or grape juice. Alternatively, the pyment may be a grape wine sweetened with honey, a mixture of grape juice and honey that is fermented or a mixture of grape wine and mead mixed after fermentation.
Aroma:
Should have distinct grape or grape-wine character with a pronounced honey aroma, which may be sweet and may express the aroma of flower nectar. Aromas produced during fermentation, such as fruity esters and alcohol, may also be present.
Appearance:
Clarity will be good to brilliant. Carbonated examples will show active evidence of dissolved gas but no head is expected. Color would reflect the grape source, whether white, red or other.
Flavor:
Should have distinct grape wine character, manifested in acidity, tannin and other grape characteristics, but the honey character should balance the fruit flavors. Grassy white wine character or buttery(diacetyl) Chardonnay character is appropriate in pyment only. In well made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the sugar-acid balance of the pyment.
Mouthfeel:
Smooth texture. Most will be wine-like, with the warming presence of alcohol and sense of medium body. Sensations of a cloying or astringent character should be avoided.
Comments:
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. Entrants must specify whether the entry is still or sparkling pyment. Entrants must also specify whether the entry is dry, semi-sweet, or sweet.
Vital Statistics:
Effective OG: 1.070-1.120+
IBUs: N/A FG: 0.995-1.025
SRM: 1-16 ABV: 7.5-15+%
25E. Other Fruit Melomel
A mead made with the addition of other fruit or fruit juices. There should be an appealing blend of the fruit and honey character but not necessarily an even balance.
Aroma:
Should exhibit the aroma of the fruit(s) present in the mead. In a melomel with a blend of fruits, one fruit may dominate the aroma profile.
Appearance:
Clarity will be good to brilliant. Carbonated examples will show active evidence of dissolved gas but no head is expected. The particular fruit(s) used may or may not impart color to the mead.
Flavor:
Fruit flavor contributions to the mead range from subtle acidic notes to intense, instantly recognizable fruit flavors. In a melomel with a blend of fruits, one fruit may dominate the flavor profile. There should be a balanced honey character as well. Some fruits will lend a cloying sweetness to the mead while others add a drying character. In well- made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the sugar-acid balance of the mead.
Mouthfeel:
Smooth texture. Most will be wine-like, with the warming presence of alcohol and sense of medium body. Sensations of a cloying or astringent character should be avoided.
Comments:
Generally a good tannin-sweetness balance is desired, though very dry and very sweet examples do exist. Some fruits, notably darker ones like Blackberries, may contribute a tannin presence not unlike dark pyments. Some oxidative properties may be appropriate in certain fruit meads, giving them a sherry or port wine character. Entrants must specify whether the entry is still or sparkling mead. Entrants must also specify whether the mead is dry, semi-sweet or sweet.
Vital Statistics:
Effective OG: 1.070-1.120+
IBUs: N/A FG: 0.995-1.025
SRM: 1-16 ABV: 7.5-15+%
25F. Metheglin
A mead made with the addition of spices or herbs.
Aroma:
The spices/herbs may be expressed in the aroma. Honey characters should appear in the aroma but will vary in intensity depending on the spices/herbs used. Metheglins containing more than one spice should have a good balance among the different spices/herbs, though some spices/herbs will tend to dominate the aroma profile.
Appearance:
Clarity may be good to brilliant. Carbonated examples will show active evidence of dissolved gas but no head is expected. Color may range from pale straw to deep amber; the color usually won't be affected by the spices or herbs.
Flavor:
The spices/herbs should be expressed in the flavor but the honey character is still the backbone of the mead and should appear in the flavor but will vary in intensity depending on the spices/herbs used. The spices/herbs should be expressed in the flavor as a distinctive enhancement to the honey flavor, whether harmoniously or by contrast, and should achieve a pleasant balance when a blend of spices/herbs is used. Metheglins containing more than one spice should have a good balance among the different spices/herbs, though some spices/herbs will tend to dominate the flavor profile.
Mouthfeel:
Smooth texture. Most will be wine-like, with the warming presence of alcohol and sense of medium body. Sensations of a cloying or astringent character should be avoided; however, some spices or herbs may affect mouthfeel particularly by adding astringency.
Comments:
Often, a blend of spices may give a character greater than the sum of its parts. The better examples of this style use spices/herbs subtly and when more than one are used, they are carefully selected so that they blend harmoniously. Entrants must specify whether the entry is still or sparkling mead. Entrants must also specify whether the mead is dry, semi-sweet or sweet.
Vital Statistics:
Effective OG: 1.070-1.120+
IBUs: N/A FG: 0.995-1.025
SRM: 1-16 ABV: 7.5-15+%
25G. Braggot
Meads made with both honey and malt providing flavor and fermentable extract. Originally, and alternatively, a mixture of mead and ale.
Aroma:
Aroma of both honey and malt should be apparent and in balance. Hop aroma may be present but is not required.
Appearance:
Straw to dark brown depending on the type of malt and honey used. Some head retention is expected. Clear, although some chill haze may be present at low temperatures.
Flavor:
There should be some balance between the beer aspect and the mead aspect of a braggot, especially with regard to maltiness and bitterness versus honey character. Malt character ranges from light pale malt-type flavors to rich caramel flavors, depending on the malt used. Hop bitterness and flavor may be present but are not required.
Mouthfeel:
Body may vary from light to medium. Smooth mouthfeel without astringency. Carbonation may vary from light to very lively.
Comments:
The fermentable sugars should come from a balance of malt and honey, otherwise the beverage might better be entered as a Specialty Beer with the addition of honey. As a rule of thumb, the fermentables should consist of no less than 1/3 malt and no more than 2/3 honey. Hopped examples of this style should exhibit the hops distinctly and should have at least 15 IBUs.
Vital Statistics
Effective OG: 1.060-1.120+
IBUs: 0-50 FG: 1.004-1.025
SRM: 3-16 ABV: 6.5-14%
25H. Mixed Category Mead
A mead that combines ingredients from two or more of the other mead sub-categories.
Aroma, appearance, flavor and other characteristics may vary and be combinations of the respective elements of the various sub-categories used in this style.
Comments:
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.
