Beer of the Week: Hops for the Holidays ’25

No other time of year has such a positive effect on the way we behave than the holidays. Most of us spend 11 months of the year completely bogged down with work and adulting, unable to apply energy that’s typically in far too short of a supply to the things we really want to, but come December it’s wholly acceptable – encouraged even – to finally devote time to important things we’ve neglected like family, friends and fun. Even I, a confessed workaholic who must be crowbarred from my keyboard, reconnect with the people I don’t see enough of come the end of the year. And it’s a good thing…especially this year. Full disclosure: 2025 has been a really rough and emotionally taxing year for me, perhaps worse than any year that has preceded it. We all need good people to get us through life’s trials and, thanks to the liberties and like-minded human desire for congregation that make this time of year so special, I was finally able to benefit from the connection and fellowship that comes from being around those who are special to us. And it’s made all the difference. So it is with great pleasure that I present to you this week’s featured beer, a double-dry-hopped IPA that’s all about bringing friends together in the best of ways, not just one year but every year. Dubbed Hops for the Holidays ‘25, it’s the latest edition of an annual collaboration from Green Cheek Beer Co. that sees that business’ co-founding brewer, Evan Price, get together with North Park Beer Co.’s (NPBC) co-founding brewer, Kelsey McNair, to not only produce a beer, but even more importantly, spend some in-person time enjoying one another’s company. The latter would be enough on its own, but, oh yeah, the beer just happens to be phenomenal. This isn’t surprising given both Green Cheek and NPBC are well known far and wide for their shared prowess in the manufacture of hoppy beers, particularly IPAs of the West Coast style. This yearly yuletide treat is bone-dry yet highly flavorful, delivering a mixture of Valencia orange and pineapple on the palate before transitioning to a slightly bitter, lemon-pith finish. In all honesty, something this brisk and fruity might actually be better suited for the summer, but if it brings good friends together in the spirit of the holidays, I’m all for it hitting the production calendar in December.

I absolutely love getting together with Kelsey every year for our annual IPA release. He’s actually someone I spend a lot of time with and is one of my closest friends in the industry. Our mutual love for Disneyland, cocktails (especially tiki drinks), music, talking parenthood, and business keeps us in constant contact and discussion. We happily swap info with each other in a collaborative way all year long, but it’s fun to purposely try to make a North Park-style IPA with this release every year. So, this beer has a bit more body than what you’d normally see from us, as Kelsey prefers a touch more residual sweetness than I do. And we, of course, employed Mr. Hop Fu’s™ signature technique of adding Citra Dynaboost straight to the fermenter at knock-out. But one thing that’s different this year, is our inclusion of a new hop varietal we share a mutual love of. It’s called Tangier and comes from Segal Ranch. The hop has a lot of super-yummy fresh orange-zest character and dried orange peel vibes, and shows up great in this year’s holiday collaboration.”

Evan Price, Co-owner & Brewer, Green Cheek Beer Co.

Green Cheek Beer Co. is located at 601 South Coast Highway in Oceanside