MEADLLENNIUM 2008 was another exciting competition. The results and the wonderful meads are worth all the hard work that went into making it a success. Once again, 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 “Historical Mead” category only received a few entries, but we did not combine them into mainstream categories. The judges were quite surprised by the quality of these meads, and our “Best of Show” came from this category.

A special “Thanks” to all that entered. You are the reason we have Meadllennium! With our contest so soon after the Holidays, we know that it may take a special effort for you to get your meads ready and mailed to us. Again, “Thank you!” Your medals and score sheets will be mailed in the week of 4 February.

Again, the Alliance of Sommeliers provided their special lead-crystal wine glasses for us to evaluate your meads. For this, we are 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. These special people are the backbone of Meadllennium.

The quality of the meads, once again, was outstanding. The vast majority scored over 30 points. Unfortunately, there were some excellent meads that did not win a medal.

Winners List

January 26, 2008

24A. Traditional Dry Mead
1st.    Mike Haws, Arlington, TX - Knights of the Brown Bottle – “Another Clover Mead”
2nd.  Howard Curran, Oviedo, FL – CFHB - “Dry Mac”
3rd.   John Sather, Orlando, FL – CFHB – “Enlightened”

24B. Traditional Semi-Sweet Mead
1st. Mike Haws, Arlington, TX – Knights of the Brown Bottle - “Aunt Reen’s 99” (An excellent mead, that also won GOLD in 2007.)
2nd.  David Purcell, Flagstaff, AZ - “12 Pound Mead 2004”
3rd.   Ed Measom, Winter Park, FL – CFHB – “How Sweet It Is #M-14”

24C. Traditional Sweet Mead
1st. Howard Curran, Oviedo, FL – CFHB - “Yuli’s Gold”
2nd.   Glenn & Dani Exline, Rockledge, FL – SAAZ – “Snogging Santa Under the Mistletoe”
3rd.    Mitch Plyter, Sanford, FL – CFHB – “Mitch’s 8-year old Closet Mead”

25A. Melomel – Cyser
1st.   Brent Douglas, Dayton, OH – DRAFT - “East Side Bounty”
2nd. Sheron Rowland, Loveland, CO – Liquid Poets - “Day at the Fair”
3rd.   Chris Becker, Northampton, PA – Lehugh Valley Homebrewers - “Buzz Ride”

25B. Melomel – Pyment
1st. Thomas Crawford, Tallahassee, FL – N. Florida Brewers League – “Panty Remover 2007 (Version 1)” (An excellent mead, that also won GOLD in 2007.)
2nd.  Thomas Crawford, Tallahassee, FL – N.Florida Brewers League – “Panty Remover 2007 (Version 2)” (An excellent mead, that also won a medal in 2007.)
3rd.   David Griffiths, Morriston, FL – “An Orange Blossom Tale”

25C. Other Fruit Melomel (Split into three categories)

Dry
1st. Jeff Gladish, Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay BEERS – “5-year old mead with fruit”
2nd. John Rathmell, Ypsilanti, MI – Ann Arbor Brewers Guild – “Cherry Melomel”
3rd. Carl Davis, Pinellas Park, FL – Dunedin Brewers Guild – “Kiwi Strawberry Mead”

Semi-Sweet
1st.   Howard Curran, Oviedo, FL – CFHB – “Guavalicious”
2nd.  Howard Curran, Oviedo, FL – CFHB – “Peach 3”
3rd.   Andy Rodusky, Royal Palm Beach, FL – Palm Beach Draughtsmen - “Beligmo’s Xmas 2006 Cherry Bomb” (I believe this won a medal in 2007.)

Sweet
1st. Glenn & Dani Exline, Rockledge, FL – SAAZ – “Blackberry Surprise”
2nd. Howard Curran, Oviedo, FL – CFHB – “Blue Bayou”
3rd. Neil McCormick, Deltona, FL – CFHB – “Delightfully Guava”

26A. Metheglin
1st.   Howard Curran, Oviedo, FL – CFHB – “X’Mas Mead”

2nd.  Kevin Presson, Abingdon, MD – Libation Assoc. of Northern Maryland - unnamed
3rd.   Nandi McCormick, Deltona, FL – CFHB – Hint of Cinnamon

26B. Braggot

1st.   Thomas Crawford, Tallahassee, FL – N. Florida Brewers League - “Dirac’s Award Winning Braggot 2007” (An excellent mead, that also won GOLD in 2007.)
2nd.  Patrick Duby, Round Lake, IL – BABBLE – “Mild Brown Braggot”
3rd.   Bart Hines, Fort Worth, TX – Knights of the Brown Bottle – “Bart’s Headache”

26C. Open Mead Category
1st.   Micah Dubinko, Sunnyvale, CA – “Choco Bliss”
2nd. Mike Haws, Arlington, TX – Knights of the Brown Bottle – “a Cherry coco Braggot”
3rd. Ric Cunnigham, Niagara Falls, NY – Niagara Assoc. of Homebrewers – “Southern Tier Maple Mead”

Historical Mead (New Category)
1st.   Dennis Pierson, Tampa, FL – Tampa Bay BEERS – “1669 Black Mead”

2nd. Ric Cunnigham, Niagara Falls, NY – Niagara Assoc. of Homebrewers – “Complete Hive Mead”

3rd.   Micah Dubinko, Sunnyvale, CA – “SO ‘UR’ MASH (SUMARIAN)

Best of Show
Winner

Dennis Pierson – “1669 Black Mead” – Historical Mead

1st Runner Up
Howard Curran – Yuli’s Gold” – Sweet Mead (24 C)

2nd Runner Up
Glenn & Dani Exline – “Blackberry Surprise” – Other Fruit Melomel (25 C/Sweet)

Mead Club of the Year (No prizes –just the right to brag that your club “Kicked Butt” in MEADLLENNIUM 2008)

Winner (Tie – Please settle this like gentlemen)

Knights of the Brown Bottle - Arlington, TX

Tampa Bay BEERS – Tampa, FL

3rd Place Mead Club
North Florida Brewers League – Tallahassee, FL