Account Registration
Registration is closed.
Entry Registration
Entry registration is closed.
Top
Rules
11/30/2022 IMPORTANT UPDATE: Please note the entry limits have been changed for the amateur mead/beer sites to 12 total entries across mead and beer. This will be manually cross checked to confirm no single entrant exceeds this maximum. If you exceed this limit you will be asked to reduce your entry count to 12 total or have entries randomly removed to the 12 limit by the competition organizers.
Competition total maximums for Beer will remain 500 entries, and meads will be increased to 200 total entries to allow for similar table entry counts across both sites.
This is the Operation Fermentation Amateur Mead Entry Site only.
To Enter your Beers into Operation Fermentation See Below
Amateur Beer: CLICK HERE
Professional Meadmakers: CLICK HERE
Operation Fermentation is rated as the 3rd best competition in the USA by the Master Homebrewer Program. Entry into this competition as competitive as the event itself due to the highly coveted Gold Medal Goblets. Entry typically fills in less than 2 hours after registration open so mark your calendars, set an alarm and do not delay registering. You registration is not complete and your slots not held until your have paid for your entries.
- This competition is open to all homebrewers.
- The competition is restricted to non-commercial and home-brewed beers and meads. "Homebrewed" means that entrants cannot brew the beer using any equipment from a production brewery/meadery or produced using ingredients provided by a professional brewer/brewery/meadery/cidery/winery.
- Homebrewers who have applied for a business license for a brewery/meadery, or currently own a license for production of beer/wine/cider/mead are not qualified to enter as a homebrewer. The organizers encourage those who are disqualified to enter as Homebrewers to enter the Professional competition.
- The competition organizers are not responsible for mis-categorized entries, mailed entries that are not received by the entry deadline, or entries that arrived damaged.
- The competition organizers reserve the right to restructure awards as needed depending upon the quantity and quality of entries.
- Minimum score requirements for medalling:
- 27 for bronze, 30 for silver, 33 for gold minimum
- See additional Rules in the "Info" Link above
Every first place winner from every category will receive a custom goblet with the Operation Fermentation IX and Texas Mead Cup 2023 logos embossed and the description of the beer/mead category.
The competition will be organized into the following medaling tables
Table 1 - Dry Traditional Mead
Table 2 - Semi Sweet Traditional Mead
Table 3 - Sweet Traditional Mead
Table 4 - Cyser
Table 5 - Pyment
Table 6 - Berry Mead
Table 7 - Stone Fruit Mead
Table 8 - Melomel
Table 9 - Fruit and Spice Mead
Table 10 - Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead
Table 11 - Braggot
Table 12 - Historical Mead
Table 13 - Experimental Mead
Table 14 - Texas Themed Mead (CLICK HERE for style Guidelines)
Note: Table 14 does not qualify for Best of Show consideration
Top
BJCP 2015 Judging Styles
If a style's name is hyperlinked, it has specific entry requirements. Select or tap on the name to view the subcategory's requirements.
Top
Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 4
Judging Sessions and Dates
Entry Modification Deadline
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:00 AM, CST
Top
Best of Show
Best of Show will be awarded for best beer, and best mead.
The winner of the following categories will earn the right to brew with the sponsoring breweries/meaderies (Pro-Am):
Top
Awards
Homebrewing Conference and Awards Ceremony is February 25th. Link for attending as a Temporary Member is forthcoming
AWARD CEREMONY TIME IS TBD
The awards ceremony will take place once judging is completed.
Places will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each category/table.
The 1st place entry in each category will advance to the Best of Show (BOS) round with a single, overall Best of Show beer selected. The same philosophy applies for all Mead categories
Top
Awards Ceremony
Aloft Houston Katy Mills
25330 Kingsland Blvd, Katy, TX 77494
Saturday, February 25, 2023 10:00 PM, CST
Top
Circuit Qualification
This competition earns medalling brewers points towards the 2023 Circuit of America.
This competition is the first competition within the Lone Star Circuit.
Top
Similar in balance, body, finish and flavor intensity to a dry white wine, with a pleasant mixture of subtle honey character, soft fruity esters, and clean alcohol. Complexity, harmony, and balance of sensory elements are most desirable, with no inconsistencies in color, aroma, flavor or aftertaste. The proper balance of sweetness, acidity, alcohol, and honey character is the essential final measure of any mead.
Entry Info: Entry Instructions: Entrants must specify carbonation level and strength. Sweetness is assumed to be DRY in this category. Entrants may specify honey varieties.
Similar in balance, body, finish and flavor intensity to a semisweet (or medium-dry) white wine, with a pleasant mixture of honey character, light sweetness, soft fruity esters, and clean alcohol. Complexity, harmony, and balance of sensory elements are most desirable, with no inconsistencies in color, aroma, flavor or aftertaste. The proper balance of sweetness, acidity, alcohol, and honey character is the essential final measure of any mead.
Entry Info: Entrants must specify carbonation level and strength. Sweetness is assumed to be SEMI-SWEET in this category. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties.
Similar in balance, body, finish and flavor intensity to a well-made dessert wine (such as Sauternes), with a pleasant mixture of honey character, residual sweetness, soft fruity esters, and clean alcohol. Complexity, harmony, and balance of sensory elements are most desirable, with no inconsistencies in color, aroma, flavor or aftertaste. The proper balance of sweetness, acidity, alcohol, and honey character is the essential final measure of any mead.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level and strength. Sweetness is assumed to be SWEET in this category. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties.
In well-made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Some of the best strong examples have the taste and aroma of an aged Calvados (apple brandy from northern France), while subtle, dry versions can taste similar to many fine white wines. 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.
Entry Info: Entrants must specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants may specify honey varieties. Entrants may specify the varieties of apple used; if specified, a varietal character will be expected. Products with a relatively low proportion of honey are better entered as a Specialty Cider. A spiced cyser should be entered as a Fruit and Spice Mead. A cyser with other fruit should be entered as a Melomel. A cyser with additional ingredients should be entered as an Experimental mead.
In well-made examples of the style, the grape is both distinctively vinous and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. White and red versions can be quite different, and the overall impression should be characteristic of the type of grapes used and suggestive of a similar variety wine. 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.
Entry Info: Entrants must specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants may specify honey varieties. Entrants may specify the varieties of grape used; if specified, a varietal character will be expected. A spiced pyment (hippocras) should be entered as a Fruit and Spice Mead. A pyment made with other fruit should be entered as a Melomel. A pyment with other ingredients should be entered as an Experimental Mead.
In well-made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Different types of fruit can result in widely different characteristics; allow for a variation in the final product.
Entry Info: Entrants must specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants may specify honey varieties. Entrants must specify the varieties of fruit used. A mead made with both berries and non-berry fruit (including apples and grapes) should be entered as a Melomel. A berry mead that is spiced should be entered as a Fruit and Spice Mead. A berry mead containing other ingredients should be entered as an Experimental Mead.
In well-made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Different types of fruit can result in widely different characteristics; allow for a variation in the final product.
Entry Info: Entrants must specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants may specify honey varieties. Entrants must specify the varieties of fruit used. A stone fruit mead that is spiced should be entered as a Fruit and Spice Mead. A stone fruit mead that contains non-stone fruit should be entered as a Melomel. A stone fruit mead that contains other ingredients should be entered as an Experimental Mead.
In well-made examples of the style, the fruit is both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Different types of fruit can result in widely different characteristics; allow for a variation in the final product.
Entry Info: Entrants must specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants may specify honey varieties. Entrants must specify the varieties of fruit used. A melomel that is spiced should be entered as a Fruit and Spice Mead. A melomel containing other ingredients should be entered as an Experimental Mead. Melomels made with either apples or grapes as the only fruit source should be entered as Cysers and Pyments, respectively. Melomels with apples or grapes, plus other fruit should be entered in this category, not Experimental.
In well-made examples of the style, the fruits and spices are both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Different types of fruits and spices can result in widely different characteristics; allow for significant variation in the final product.
Entry Info: Entrants must specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants may specify honey varieties. Entrants must specify the types of spices used, (although well-known spice blends may be referred to by common name, such as apple pie spices). Entrants must specify the types of fruits used. If only combinations of spices are used, enter as a Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead. If only combinations of fruits are used, enter as a Melomel. If other types of ingredients are used, enter as an Experimental Mead.
In well-made examples of the style, the spices are both distinctive and well-incorporated into the honey-sweet-acid-tannin-alcohol balance of the mead. Different types of spices can result in widely different characteristics; allow for a variation in the final product.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MUST specify the types of spices used (although well-known spice blends may be referred to by common name, such as apple pie spices)
A harmonious blend of mead and beer, with the distinctive characteristics of both. A wide range of results are possible, depending on the base style of beer, variety of honey and overall sweetness and strength. Beer flavors tend to somewhat mask typical honey flavors found in other meads. and honey, although the specific balance is open to creative interpretation by brewers.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MAY specify the base style or beer or types of malt used. Products with a relatively low proportion of honey should be entered in the Spiced Beer category as a Honey Beer.
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. Whatever ingredients are included, the result should be identifiable as a honey-based fermented beverage.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MUST specify the special nature of the mead, providing a description of the mead for judges if no such description is available from the BJCP.
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. Whatever ingredients are included, the result should be identifiable as a honey-based fermented beverage.
Entry Info: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level, strength, and sweetness. Entrants MAY specify honey varieties. Entrants MUST specify the special nature of the mead, whether it is a combination of existing styles, an experimental mead, or some other creation. Any special ingredients that impart an identifiable character MAY be declared.
A mead made with ingredients indigenous to Texas, inspired by a recognizable Texas food/beverage/spice/condiment, or makes use of a known Texas produced food/beverage/spice/condiment.
Entry Info: Please See style Guidelines here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/171Mk4H6jV4CqMdLvgJbP06VollnqssI2/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113890769185490668383&rtpof=true&sd=true
Entrant Must specify base style and what makes the style a Texas inspired Mead in the description
