My goal in this document is to present a ‘Cliff’s Notes’ version of the Judging Mead section of the Mead Study Guide prepared by several members of the BJCP and available at this URL: http://www.bjcp.org/mead/Mead_Study.doc This document is very long and is intended to include all information needed to pass the BJCP Mead certification exam. Every bit of the following discussion is taken from this tome.

Judging mead differs from simply drinking mead as a judge is to compare his/her drink to idealized standards and discuss why it does and does not fit the profile. When judging a mead you evaluate aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel and overall impression. Though these are the same categories for evaluating beer, a different score sheet is used. http://www.bjcp.org/docs/SCP_MeadScoreSheet.pdf

Aroma: Start by swirling the mead in your glass and taking a deep sniff. Write down what you notice about the honey, any fermentation characteristics, and alcohol level. Do you notice any of the special ingredients if they were listed? Can you pick up any acidity? Are you able to tell if they did any special processing such as aging in oak or icing? Finally write down what you think about the mead’s balance. Do you notice anything off? There is a wine aroma wheel on page 122 of the study guide is you need more examples of aromas you may encounter.

Appearance: When evaluating appearance, it is important to look at color, reflectance, clarity, legs and carbonation. Do these line up with the style guidelines for the category entered?

Flavor: First note the honey flavors and sweetness. Do you get a distinct, clean honey flavor? Is there a varietal honey character you taste? What is the level of sweetness? Common descriptors include: bone dry, dry, off-dry, slightly sweet, moderately sweet, moderately-high sweet, sweet (or high sweetness), very sweet, or cloyingly sweet. Next look for the elements of acidity and tannin, which balance the honey flavor and sweetness. Alcohol flavors and bitterness can be described next. The special ingredients and processes should be noted such as: fruit, spice, malt, oak, etc. Also note any fermentation flaws. For the aftertaste you can describe the length: short, medium, long, or memorable. Finally, the overall balance of the mead should be described. Again, a flavor wheel is available on page 127 of the Mead Study Guide.

Mouthfeel: The most straightforward components of mouthfeel in mead are the same ones used in beer judging: body, carbonation and alcohol warmth.

Overall: In the Overall Impression section, give your general impression of the mead. Give objective comments on how the mead fits the intended styles. If flaws are noted, point to possible causes.

Before judging a mead it is worth filing out the new Mead Score Sheet on a practice mead. It is quite different from the regular Beer Score Sheet, so some practice will not hurt.

Enjoy all the great meads that will be at the meeting.