Results are in! THE MEAD INSTITUTE
2024 US Mead Open
The Mead Institute US Open Competition strives to unite and elevate the mead industry by providing exceptionally high quality professional feedback from credentialed sommeliers and cicerones.
Competition Format
The Mead Institute US Mead Open Competition judging will be performed in an open format. Flights will not be separated by category or style. The top mead or meads from each flight will advance to semi-finals at the discretion of the judges. The top meads from the semi-finals will advance to finals. Awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be chosen from finalists. Semi-finalists and Finalists will be published on the Mead Institute websites.
Rules & Regulations
- Competition entries will open on August 11th, 2024.
- Entries must be received no later than September 27th, 2024. Entries received after September 27th, 2024 will be disqualified.
- No refund or credit of an entry fees will be given in any circumstances, including circumstances in which an Entry is disqualified, withdrawn, lost or damaged or does not arrive in time.
- All the entries become the property of the Mead Institute and will not be returned.
- A maximum of 200 entries will be accepted.
- Entries will be limited to 10 per commercial meadery.
- All entries must be produced in a licensed commercial facility.
- Entries must:
- contain minimum 51% of the fermentable sugar in the mead from honey
- have a minimum production quantity of 112.5 liters (25 cases or 300 375ml bottles)
- be finished and in their final container
- be sealed with the same closure as the final, commercially available mead
- specify all ingredients contained in the final product
- not contain cannabis or cannabis derivative ingredients
- not have imagery or wording anywhere on the packaging or related marketing materials that convey or portray or are related to sexual connotations, homophobia, racism, sexism, illegal activity, violence, bigotry, or other inappropriate, disrespectful depictions
- A minimum of four (4) samples of each entry must be submitted to Mead Institute
- Entrants must send a minimum of 1500ml of volum
Scoring
Meads will be evaluated using the Mead Institute Evaluative Tasting Grid and scores will be given out of 100. At any time during the competition, our judges can award a mead a score of 90 or above. Scores of 90 and above will be published on Mead Institute website.
Meet Our Judges
Madeline Triffon
Master Sommelier
In-house Sommelier at Plum Market. First Master Sommelier to pass on US soil, first American woman to pass the Master Sommelier Exam
Randy Mosher
Author and Educator
Faculty member of the Siebel Institute, America’s oldest brewing school. Author of Tasting Beer, The Brewer’s Companion, Radical Brewing, and more
Zach Typinski
Advanced Cicerone®
BJCP Beer Judge and Owner of Urbanrest Brewing Company in Ferndale, Michigan
Amanda Danielson
Advanced Sommelier
Owner and Advanced Sommelier at Trattoria Stella
Jono Taccolini
Certified Sommelier
Operations Manager and Sommelier at Le Suprême
Annette May
Advanced Cicerone®
First Female Certified Cicerone®, Faculty at Schoolcraft College Brewing & Distillation Technology Program
Joey Lopaka
Advanced Sommelier
Fine Wine Specialist at Great Lakes Wine & Spirits
Taylor Johnson
Certified Sommelier
Beverage Director for Echelon Kitchen and Bar
Joseph Allerton
Certified Sommelier
Wine Sales at Veritas Distributing, Inc
Mick Descamps
Advanced Sommelier
Wine Director at Red Wagon Wine Shoppe
Patrick Jobst
Advanced Sommelier
Beverage Director at Book Tower
Paula Hartson
Certified Sommelier
Assistant Wine Team Leader at Plum Market
David Anderson
Certified Sommelier
BJCP Mead Judge & Data Analytics Manager
Travis Tache
Advanced Sommelier
Territory Manager at Woodberry Wine
2024 Award Winners
US Mead Open Results:
St. Ambrose Cellars – Shotgun Wedding
St. Ambrose Cellars – Grateful Head
Unpossible Mead – Currant Wars
Finalists
Lazy Z Ranch Wines – Gin Barrel Aged Grape & Plum
Unpossible Mead – Currant Wars
St. Ambrose Cellars – Grateful Head
St. Ambrose Cellars – Rhythm and Blues
St. Ambrose Cellars – Shotgun Wedding
Zymarium Meadery – Barrel-Aged Endless Vanilla
Semi Finalists
Bears Bluff Meadery – Purist
Drinking Horn Meadery – Unicorn Blood
Fitzgibbon Meadery – Sigrid
Golden Coast Mead – Miele Espresso
Lazy Z Ranch Wines – Gin Barrel Aged Grape & Plum
Prairie Rose Meadery – Orange Spice Mead
Silver Hand Meadery – Tangerine
Silver Hand Meadery – Moondance
St. Ambrose Cellars – Black Madonna Sour
St. Ambrose Cellars – Grateful Head
St. Ambrose Cellars – Royal Reserve
St. Ambrose Cellars – Illuminati
St. Ambrose Cellars – Razzputin Sour
St. Ambrose Cellars – Rhythm and Blues
St. Ambrose Cellars – Shotgun Wedding
Treehive – 2 B’s Walk Into A Barrel
Unpossible Mead – Currant Wars
Zymarium Meadery – Barrel-Aged Endless Ritual
Zymarium Meadery – Barrel-Aged Endless Vanilla
Zymarium Meadery – Brood Coffee
Zymarium Meadery – Soliloquy of Nectar Lehua Blossom
Bears Bluff Meadery – Purist
Drinking Horn Meadery – Unicorn Blood
Fitzgibbon Meadery – Sigrid
Golden Coast Mead – Heritage Plum Wild
Golden Coast Mead – Miele Espresso
Lazy Z Ranch Wines – Gin Barrel Aged Grape & Plum
Lazy Z Ranch Wines – Coastal Huckleberry
McGee’s Meads – Full Moon Vibes
Prairie Rose Meadery – Ginger Mead
Prairie Rose Meadery – Orange Spice Mead
Silver Hand Meadery – Tangerine
Silver Hand Meadery – Moondance
Silver Hand Meadery – Raspberry Passion
St. Ambrose Cellars – Black Madonna Sour
St. Ambrose Cellars – Grateful Head
St. Ambrose Cellars – Royal Reserve
St. Ambrose Cellars – Illuminati
St. Ambrose Cellars – Razzputin Sour
St. Ambrose Cellars – Rhythm and Blues
St. Ambrose Cellars – Shotgun Wedding
St. Ambrose Cellars – Wild Ginger
Queen’s Reward Meadery – Rubee
Treehive – 2 B’s Walk Into A Barrel
Unpossible Mead – Currant Wars
Zymarium Meadery – Barrel-Aged Endless Ritual
Zymarium Meadery – Barrel-Aged Endless Vanilla
Zymarium Meadery – Brood Coffee
Zymarium Meadery – Soliloquy of Nectar Lehua Blossom
Past Award Winners
2023 US Mead Open Results:
Lost Cause Meadery – Wolf: The Dawning
Beach Bee – Strong Currant
Listermann Fermatorium – Damnation
Finalists
Lost Cause Meadery – Wolf: The Dawning
Beach Bee – Strong Currant
Listermann Fermatorium – Damnation
Lost Cause Meadery – Amaro Curioso
Moonlight Meadery – Desire
Heidrun Meadery – Hawaiian Lehua Blossom
Semi Finalists
Hierophant Meadery – Cherry Bochet
Moonlight Meadery – Desire
Lost Cause Meadery – Amaro Curioso
Listermann Fermatorium – Damnation
Lost Cause Meadery – Wolf: The Dawning
Heidrun Meadery – Hawaiian Lehua Blossom
Beach Bee Meadery – Strong Currant
McGee’s Mead – Earl Grey’s Kumquats
Atheling Meadworks – Rheda’s Longing
Southern Origin Meadery – Chai Mead
Four Fires Meadery – Vanilla Bean Cloak & Dagger
Superstition Meadery – Carvin
Moonlight Meadery – Embrace
Norse Nectar Meadery – Holy Grail
Second City Meadery – City Den
Four Fires Meadery – Barrel Aged Carvin Planet
Manic Meadery – Pymnentia
Ægir’s den Meadery – Dwarves’ Conspiracy
Silver Hand Meadery – Lullaby
Zymarium Meadery – Endless Raspberry: Tupelo Reserve
Hierophant Meadery – Song of the Elders
Moonlight Meadery – Bourbon Barrel Kurt’s Apple Pie
Beach Bee Meadery – Strong Currant
Ægir’s den Meadery – Dwarves’ Conspiracy
Heidrun Meadery – Hawaiian Lehua Blossom
Second City Meadery – City Den
Hierophant Meadery – Song of the Elders
Four Fires Meadery – Vanilla Bean Cloak & Dagger
Four Fires Meadery – Barrel Aged Carvin Planet
Run Amok Mead – Crooked House
Lost Cause Meadery – Wolf: The Dawning
Lost Cause Meadery – Amaro Curioso
Zymarium Meadery – Endless Raspberry: Tupelo Reserve
Zymarium Meadery – Soliloquy Of Nectar: Old Florida Tupelo
Zymarium Meadery – Endless Blueberry
Silver Hand Meadery – Lullaby
Silver Hand Meadery – Bourbon Street Blues
Listermann Fermatorium – Damnation
Moonlight Meadery – Utopian X
Moonlight Meadery – Desire
Moonlight Meadery – Bourbon Barrel Kurt’s Apple Pie
Moonlight Meadery – Embrace
Superstition Meadery – Carvin
Manic Meadery – Pymnentia
Unpossible Mead – Tangerine Blossom Traditional Mead
Norse Nectar – Holy Grail
Southern Origin – Hibiscus Mead
Southern Origin Meadery – Chai Mead
Southern Origin Meadery – Dry Apple Cyser
McGee’s Mead – Persephone