Judge's Review: 93 Rating - Ante Meridiem by Monday Night Brewing

Ante Meridiem by Monday Night Brewing was judged as an Imperial Brown Ale (Style 33B—Specialty Wood Aged Beer). Weighing in at a hefty 13.5% ABV, as I sampled the thick dark brew, it was hard to find any perceived hotness from the alcohol. Although I was able to coax a head out of the beer, it fell back into the liquid quite quickly, and there was good evidence of alcoholic legs left over on the glass when I was finished. Although I started out with the beer around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, as I let it rest to open up there were layered, complex aromatics blending into a wonderful impression, including vanilla, dark cacao nibs and butterscotch. 

The taste backed up the aroma, and I appreciated that it had enough firmness in hop bitterness to counter the immense original gravity load. Although I didn’t get coffee in the aroma, there was a distinct “dry” finish to suggest it, and some bourbon warmth in the final impression. There is mention of maple syrup as another special ingredient, but in a beer this complex, I can’t say that it stood out as an identifiable flavor. 

In the size of its bottling at 500mL, this is still a great beer to bring to a group setting for sampling.  It has the flavors for those who favor something sweet, but does not range into the insipid area for those that are looking for more of a balanced heavyweight sipper.