Youngsville, NC- December 2021- The AMMA is pleased to announce the results of the 2021 National Mead Maker of the Year competition. The 2021 Mead Maker of the Year Award goes to Allen Martin!
Martin, who resides in Arizona, was first introduced to mead about 5 years ago. Martin learned about the craft from Carvin Wilson, a close friend, and mentor, and Winner of the 2019 Mead Maker of the Year. During the first few years, Martin primarily entered competitions through the Arizona Society of Homebrewers. He was awarded his first out-of-state medal from Domras Cup. It was there that he noticed his name included on the MMOTY points list. “That got me excited to climb up the list,” said Martin. “In 2019 I placed 5th, followed by 3rd place in 2020, and now 1st place for 2021.”
Martin says his favorites to make and drink are pyments and session traditionals. His session sweet clover traditional won Best of Show at the most recent Valkries Horn competition. Martin also secured 5 Mazer Cup wins over the past year, two of which were for his pyments.
Since 2018, mead enthusiasts have taken part in the AMMA’s highly anticipated event. The purpose of the Mead Maker competition is not only to help spur even more participation in mead competitions but to also motivate higher standards of mead-making practices from amateur mead makers around the country.
Congratulations to all of the participants for their dedication to the craft and for competing for the ultimate bragging rights in the mead world. AMMA would like to recognize not only those who participated, but all of the organizers and judges for their time and expert palates – it would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of many supporters.
Full List of Winners from the 2021 MMOTY:
| First Name | Last Name | Total Points |
| Allen | Martin | 90 |
| Adam | Bystrom | 66 |
| Steve | Fletty | 50 |
| Nathan | Steigman | 42 |
| Josh | Holbrook | 36 |
| Matthew | Mead | 34 |
| Josh | Mahoney | 24 |
| Amy | Olsen | 24 |
| Bill | Boyer | 22 |
| Jeremy | Klausing | 22 |
| Nick | Ferndino | 22 |
MMOTY 2022 Eligible Competitions:
- Mid-Winter Homebrew Competition
- Minnesota Mashout
- Valkyries Horn
- Valhalla: The Meading of Life
- Michigan Mead Cup
- Mazer Cup
For questions about MMYOT and competition results, please contact info@mead-makers.org.
About the American Mead Makers Association
The American Mead Makers Association is a professional, scientific and educational nonprofit corporation. The AMMA is an industry voice for over 450 commercial meaderies, and a resource for home-based mead makers. The Association is committed to assisting meaderies in producing quality meads by cultivating new ideas, publishing information on best practices and supporting competitions. For more information visit www.mead-makers.org.
