Monday Night Brewing For My Friend In Memory Of Winston Wood

Monday Night Brewing For My Friend: a barrel-aged tribute to Winston Wood

Some beers are made to celebrate a milestone, some are brewed for a special release, and others carry a story that makes opening the bottle feel a little more personal. Monday Night Brewing‘s upcoming Monday Night Brewing For My Friend appears to fall firmly into that last category, with a new blended barrel-aged strong ale created in memory of Winston Wood, a beloved bulldog whose loss clearly left a lasting mark on the people who knew him.

Coming from Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, Georgia, Monday Night Brewing For My Friend is listed at 13.5% ABV and will be packaged in 500ml bottles. The label tells a heartfelt story about Winston, describing him as the sweetest boy, a total meatball, and a source of joy for everyone who knew him. That is the kind of tribute that feels familiar to anyone who has ever shared a home with a dog. They become part of the family, they have their own personalities and routines, and when they are gone, the quiet spaces they leave behind can be hard to explain.

Monday Night Brewing For My Friend…This beer is for Winston.

Monday Night Brewing For My Friend blended barrel-aged strong ale

The beer itself is described as a blended barrel-aged strong ale, a style that gives the brewing team room to build complexity by combining beers aged in different barrels or under different conditions. While the label does not provide the individual barrel types, the blend suggests that the finished beer is intended to bring together multiple elements into one carefully assembled release.

At 13.5% ABV, Monday Night Brewing For My Friend is a big beer, one that will likely be best enjoyed in smaller pours rather than treated like an ordinary everyday ale. Strong ales can develop rich malt character, dark fruit notes, caramel, toffee, and warming alcohol, while barrel aging may introduce flavors such as vanilla, oak, and spirit character, depending on the barrels used. Those are possibilities associated with the style, not confirmed tasting notes for this particular beer, but they help explain why a blended barrel-aged strong ale can be an interesting format for a special release.

Blending also gives brewers a chance to balance individual components. One barrel-aged beer might bring more sweetness, another more oak or spirit influence, and another a different texture or depth. The challenge is getting those parts to work together without letting any one element dominate. We will have to wait for official tasting details to learn how Monday Night Brewing approached this blend.

A 500ml bottle with a personal story

The Monday Night Brewing For My Friend label is simple in its message, and that is part of what makes it work. The central artwork features a portrait of Winston beneath the words “For My Friend,” while the lower portion identifies the beer as a blended barrel-aged strong ale made in his memory. The cream background and gold lettering give the package a quiet, understated appearance, keeping the focus on Winston rather than turning the tribute into a loud promotional design.

The back label makes the meaning even clearer. Monday Night Brewing explains that whenever someone in its community loses a beloved furry friend, the team makes this beer. For this year’s release, the brewery brewed Monday Night Brewing For My Friend in honor of Winston Wood, described as the beloved bulldog of Clint and Alicia Wood.

The message is personal. Winston is remembered as a dog who brought joy to everyone around him, and the label encourages readers to raise a glass in his memory and give their own good boy or girl an extra hug. It is a small gesture, but one that many pet owners will understand immediately.

There is something fitting about connecting a beer with a shared memory. People gather around bottles, meals, celebrations, and stories, and sometimes a special release becomes a way to remember someone who mattered. In this case, the tribute is directed toward a dog who clearly made a deep impression on his family and the people around him.

Our condolences to the family of Winston Wood…

Monday Night Brewing release details

Monday Night Brewing For My Friend is listed at 13.5% alcohol by volume and will arrive in 500ml bottles. The label identifies the beer as a 2026 release brewed by Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, Georgia. However, a confirmed public release date (if any), distribution plan, and availability details have not been provided in the information available today.

That means fans should keep an eye on Monday Night Brewing’s official announcements for details on when and where the beer will be available. It is also worth checking whether the release will be offered directly through the brewery, through its taprooms, or through selected retail and distribution channels.

For collectors of barrel-aged beer, Monday Night Brewing For My Friend is an interesting addition because the beer style and packaging are tied to a specific personal story rather than simply a seasonal theme. For dog lovers, the story may be the main reason to seek it out. And for anyone who has ever lost a pet, the message on the label is likely to hit close to home.

A good beer can bring people together. A beer with a story can give them something to remember, too.

Monday Night Brewing For My Friend is a Winston Wood tribute beer, and the label makes it clear that his memory is at the heart of this release. Stay tuned for official release details from Monday Night Brewing.

Label Text Monday Night Brewing For My Friend

BREWED BY
MONDAY NIGHT BREWING
in Atlanta, GA
2026

Monday Night Brewing FOR MY FRIEND

BLENDED BARREL-AGED STRONG ALE

In Memory of Winston Wood

ALC. 13.5% BY VOL.

500 ML (1 PINT, 0.9 FL OZ)

Label message:

Friends,

Whenever one of our own at Monday Night loses a beloved fur-friend, we make this beer. This year we brew For My Friend in honor of Winston Wood, the beloved bulldog of Clint and Alicia Wood.

Winston was the sweetest boy and a total meatball. He brought so much joy to everyone who knew him, and he will be deeply missed.

Raise a glass to Winston, and give your own good boy or girl an extra hug tonight.

With Love,

Peter B. Kiley
Brewmaster
On behalf of the Monday Night team

Related news from mybeerbuzz.com:
Monday Night Brewing fans can explore more specialty releases in our coverage of Monday Night Brewing Adding Pilsner Italiano, Many Leather-Bound Books, A Story About Everything and More, which includes another bourbon barrel-aged barleywine, and Monday Night Adding Goodie Bag, Madrigal, Sticky, Faithful Instruction and More, featuring additional limited releases and barrel-aged beer. For more brewery news and information about its locations, see Monday Night Brewing Opening The Grove in Atlanta, Georgia. These stories offer more background on the brewery’s experimental beers, specialty bottle releases, and growing presence in the craft beer community.

About Monday Night Brewing: Atlanta craft beer, barrel-aged releases and community

Monday Night Brewing is an Atlanta, Georgia-based craft brewery that began with a simple idea: bring people together over beer. The company traces its beginnings to 2006, when founders Jeff Heck, Joel Iverson, and Jonathan Baker started brewing together on Monday nights after their regular workdays. What began as a homebrewing hobby gradually developed into a serious brewing project, with the group spending years refining recipes before launching the business commercially in 2011.

The brewery’s name reflects that original routine. The founders would loosen their neckties after work and turn their Monday evenings into time for brewing, experimentation, and friendship. That necktie became a lasting symbol of the company’s identity and its belief that meaningful experiences do not have to wait for the weekend.

From its Atlanta beginnings, Monday Night Brewing has grown into a regional craft beer and hospitality business with a diverse portfolio of beers and multiple taproom locations. Its lineup includes approachable lagers, pale ales, India pale ales, seasonal beers, sour ales, stouts, and specialty barrel-aged releases. This variety allows the brewery to serve drinkers looking for an easygoing weeknight beer while also offering more complex bottles for collectors and enthusiasts.

One of the most distinctive parts of the company is Monday Night Garage in Atlanta’s historic West End. The facility focuses on barrel-aged beer, sour beer, and small-batch experimentation. With dedicated barrel-aging areas and equipment for souring and fermentation, The Garage gives the brewing team room to work with recipes that require additional time and attention. It is particularly relevant to releases such as For My Friend, a blended barrel-aged strong ale listed at 13.5% ABV.

Barrel-aged beer gives brewers an opportunity to develop flavors and textures that differ from those of freshly brewed beer. Depending on the recipe and the barrels involved, maturation can introduce oak character, vanilla, caramel, spirit notes, and additional depth. Blending allows the brewing team to combine different components to achieve a balanced final beer. Monday Night Brewing’s specialty releases have included strong ales, barrel-aged barleywines, imperial stouts, and sour beers, demonstrating the range of styles that can come from its experimental brewing program.

The brewery also maintains a broader selection of beers designed for everyday enjoyment. Familiar offerings have included 404 Atlanta Lager, Dr. Robot berry lemon sour, Blind Pirate blood orange IPA, and Drafty Kilt Scotch ale. Seasonal and limited releases give the team additional room to experiment with hop varieties, fruit, malt combinations, fermentation methods, and aging techniques.

Monday Night Brewing’s commitment extends beyond its beer portfolio. The company has described community involvement as an important part of its mission, with an emphasis on supporting childhood education and development in neighborhoods surrounding its breweries. Its taprooms also serve as gathering places where visitors can enjoy beer alongside food, events, and opportunities to connect with the local community.

Monday Night Brewing For My Friend represents a particularly personal side of that community focus. According to the supplied label, Monday Night Brewing makes this beer when someone within its community loses a beloved pet. The 2026 release honors Winston Wood, the bulldog loved by Clint and Alicia Wood. The label remembers Winston as a joyful, affectionate companion and encourages people to raise a glass in his memory while giving their own pets an extra hug.

That message gives the beer a purpose beyond its strength, blend, or bottle format. At 13.5% ABV and packaged in 500ml bottles, For My Friend is a substantial specialty release, but its defining feature is the story behind it. It connects the brewery’s interest in complex beer with a personal remembrance that many pet owners will recognize.

Monday Night Brewing continues to build on its Atlanta roots through core beers, experimental releases, and hospitality spaces across the Southeast. Readers looking for official beer information, brewery news, taproom details, and current availability can visit the official Monday Night Brewing website.

For craft beer fans, the brewery offers a mix of familiar favorites and more adventurous releases. For those who connect with the story behind For My Friend, it also offers a reminder that beer can be about friendship, community, and remembering the companions who leave a lasting impression.

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