good point about the palate being fresh in the morning. many commercial breweries run their QC tasting panels in the morning for that reason. now, they're working... but then you were tasting as well so no fault there.
there are so many points we could throw in to justify an early start......
Beer ..... it's not just for breakfast.
that great fiddle tune.... Whiskey Before Breakfast
hell, haven't you ever started judging at a competition with a round of barleywines or imperial stouts?
bottom line, anything worth doing well is worth doing to excess. it's never too early.