MEADLLENNIUM 2007 was a great success. We had a record number of entries and awarded a record number of medals. No categories were collapsed, and, once again, we expanded the “Other Fruit Melomel” (25C) category to award medals for Dry, Semi-Sweet and Sweet, in the category. The new Historical Mead category only received a few entries, but we did not combine them into mainstream categories, and medals were awarded anyway. We will look into doing this another time to see if the interest is there.

The venue was excellent and we wish to thank the University of Central Florida and the Rosen School of Hospitality Management for allowing us to use their wine lab. This multi-million dollar facility was designed for just this purpose and we are grateful.

Once again, the Alliance of Sommeliers provided their special lead-crystal wine glasses for us to evaluate your meads. For this, we are also very grateful.

Thanks, too, to all that helped with judging, stewarding, registering, tabulating and paperwork. Thanks to all that got the awards to us on time.

And, a special “Thanks” to all that entered. You are the reason we have Meadllennium! We received meads from every region of the United States, with the exception of Hawaii. We here in Florida are a long way from New Hampshire and Maine, and even farther away from Oregon and Alaska – we appreciate your continued support of our competition. Your meads were excellent and are a demonstration of the skills of the meadmaking art – at any level. Several of the judges commented on the overall quality of the meads this year. 77% scored 30 or better; 23% scored 40 or better, with one of the meads receiving 47 from a judge.

Winners List

January 27, 2007

24A. Traditional Dry Mead
1st.   Howard Curran, Oviedo, FL – “Dry Mac” -   CFHB
2nd.  Mark Healy, Shapleigh, ME – “Moose Pond Traditional Mead” -   Southern Maine Homebrewers
3rd.   Ed Measom, Winter Park, FL – “How Sweet It Is M-20” -   CFHB

24B. Traditional Semi-Sweet Mead
1st.   Mike Haws, Arlington, TX – “Aunt Reens 99” -   Knights of the Brown Bottle   
2nd.  Howard Curran, Oviedo, FL – “The King - Tupelo Mead” -   CFHB
3rd.   John Sather, Orlando, FL – Pass It Around” -   CFHB

H.M. Thomas Crawford, Tallahassee, FL – “Baptist Preacher’s Cadillac” -   North Florida Brewers League

24C. Traditional Sweet Mead
1st.    Stephen Pursley, Norman, OK                 
2nd.   Patrick Payne, Melbourne, FL – “Georgia Nut Sack” -   CFHB
3rd.    Michael Kiker, Anchorage, AK – “Obie” -   Great Northern Brewers Club

25A. Melomel – Cyser
1st.   Preston Hoover, Deltona, FL – “Virginia Cyser” -   CFHB
2nd.  Marcia Coling, Arlington, VA – “Cyser”
3rd.   Dan Geer, Cambridge, MA – “#6”

H.M. Al Hazan, Stroudsburg, PA – “Cyser #14” 

25B. Melomel – Pyment
1st.   Thomas Crawford, Tallahassee, FL – “Panty Remover (Version 1)” -   North Florida Brewers League
2nd.  Jason Ditsworth, Anchorage, AK – “Sex Magnet” –   Great Northern Brewers Club
3rd.   Thomas Crawford, Tallahassee, FL – “Panty Remover (Version 2)” -   North Florida Brewers League

25C. Other Fruit Melomel (Split into three categories due to number of entries)

Dry
1st.   Ed Measom, Winter Park, FL – “Raspy M-20A” -   CFHB
2nd.  Ken Woodward, Ocala, FL – “Ken’s Mead” -   Hogtown Brewers
3rd.   George Kostopoulos & Donna Lazarek, Sanford, FL – “Dry Cherry” -   CFHB

H.M. Jonathan Jordan, Gainesville, FL – “Purple Rain” -   Hogtown Brewers

Semi-Sweet
1st.   Jeffery Swearingin, Tulsa, OK – “Blimey Limey” -   Fellowship of Oklahoma Ale Makers
2nd.  Dan Geer, Cambridge, MA – “#4”   
3rd.   Thomas Crawford, Tallahassee, FL – “I Picked Every Damn Berry in This Mead” -   North Florida Brewers League

H.M. Larry Vita, Titusville, FL – “Key Lime Mead”   SAAZ

Sweet
1st.   Michael Kiker, Anchorage, AK – “Purple Passion” -   Great Northern Brewers Club
2nd.  Jon Talkington, Seaford, DE – “Blackberry Mead”
3rd.   Patrick Payne, Melbourne, FL – “Payne’s Tropical Delight” -   CFHB

26A. Metheglin
1st.   Andy Rodusky, Royal Palm Beach, FL – “Beligmo’s 2005 Xmas Mead” -   Palm Beach Draughtsmen
2nd.  Paul Holm, Hotsville, NY – Vanilla Mead” -   BEER
3rd.   Patrick Payne, Melbourne, FL – “Payne’s Bean Sack” -   CFHB

26B. Braggot

1st.   Thomas Crawford, Tallahassee, FL – “Dirac’s Nobel Prize Winning Braggot” -   North Florida Brewers League
2nd.  Mike Haws, Arlington, TX – “Chocolate Cherry Braggot” -   Knights of the Brown Bottle
3rd.   Mike Haws & Brad Berven, Arlington, TX – “A Knights Touch” -   Knights of the Brown Bottle

 26C. Open Mead Category
1st.   Patrick Payne, Melbourne, FL – “Payne’s Sour Mash Mead” -   CFHB
2nd.  Jon Talkington, Seaford, DE – “Thunder Oak Mead”
3rd.   Jon Talkington & Kitty Bronson, Seaford, DE – “Winter’s Gold Hippocras”

Historical Mead (New Category)
1st.   Patrick Payne, Melbourne, FL – “Payne’s Miodomel” -   CFHB
2nd.  Chuck Wettergreen, Geneva, IL – “Take a Chance II” -   Headhunters Brewing Club

Best of Show
Winner

Mike Haws, Arlington, TX – “Aunt Reens 99”  

1st Runner Up
Stephen Pursley, Norman, OK     

2nd Runner Up
Andy Rodusky, Royal Palm Beach, FL – “Beligmo’s 2005 Xmas Mead” 

Honorable Mention
Michael Kiker, Anchorage, AK – “Purple Passion”

Mead Club of the Year (No prizes –just the right to brag that your club “Kicked Butt” in MEADLLENNIUM 2007)

Winner

Knights of the Brown Bottle - Arlington, TX

2nd Place Mead Club  
North Florida Brewers League – Tallahassee, FL