America turns 250 today.
That’s a lot of candles. Best not light them all at once.
The Fourth of July has always been less about history books than shared rituals: the first rocket pop melting faster than you can eat it, the sharp crack of a Cherry Bomb somewhere down the block, burgers sizzling beside coolers full of beer, neighbors drifting from yard to yard, and one last toast beneath a sky busy reminding everyone that subtlety was never the point.
This year’s Peaks & Pints 2026 Fourth of July Flight follows that familiar rhythm. It begins with childhood, wanders through the cookout and the block party, then settles beside the grill just as the evening gathers itself for another spectacular finale. Five beers. One long summer day. Two hundred and fifty years of finding new reasons to raise a taster glass together.
Peaks & Pints 2026 Fourth of July Flight
WeldWerks Brewing Rocket Pop Melter
5.5% ABV | Fruited Sour Ale | Greeley, Colorado
Before the fireworks claimed the night, WeldWerks Rocket Pop owned the afternoon. Tart cherry ignites the first sip before zesty lime and electric blue raspberry streak across the palate in a joyful blur of melting red-white-and-blue popsicles, sun-warmed sidewalks, and fingers stained with evidence of summer well spent. Lively acidity keeps the fruit bright instead of sugary, letting each nostalgic flash burst vividly before fading into a crisp, refreshing finish. Rocket Pop Melter is the delicious sound of summer counting down to its first explosion.
Drekker Cherry Bomb Braaaaaaaains
6.2% ABV | Smoothie Sour Ale | Fargo, North Dakota
Long before the sky erupts in color, someone always lights the first Cherry Bomb. Drekker‘s version trades smoke for fruit, detonating with exuberant waves of ripe cherry and bright lemon before creamy vanilla and a whisper of sea salt roll through the blast like the sweetest kind of aftershock. Its thick, smoothie-like body cushions every flavor into joyful excess, yet enough lively acidity remains to keep the experience surprisingly nimble.
Prairie Artisan Ales ’Merica Y’all
6% ABV | Hazy India Pale Ale | McAlester, Oklahoma
Wrapped in soft haze and humming with Nelson Sauvin charm, Prairie Artisan Ale celebrates with white grape, gooseberry, passionfruit, and citrus shimmer across a cloud-soft body, creating a hop profile that feels like somebody accidentally parked a tiny wine bar beside the backyard grill. It celebrates the holiday with confidence instead of volume.
Fat Orange Cat 4th of July Kittens
7.4% ABV | Hazy India Pale Ale | East Hampton, Connecticut
No Fourth of July gathering is complete without that one family member who arrives wearing stars, stripes, and absolutely no intention of behaving quietly. Fat Orange Cat Brew‘s annual hazy IPA channels the same exuberance through lush waves of orange, mango, pineapple, and tangerine, while Mosaic, Centennial, and Simcoe weave citrus brightness with whispers of pine and fresh-cut grass. The velvety haze softens every hop into a silky summer daydream before a measured bitterness gently reels everything back to earth. Somehow it manages to purr through all the celebration without losing an ounce of feline mischief.
Hop Butcher for the World All Beef Frank
8% ABV | Hazy Double India Pale Ale | Chicago, Illinois
Sooner or later every Independence Day cookout arrives at the sacred question: hot dog or burger? This beer politely answers, “Yes—and make mine loaded.” Plush waves of pineapple, mango, grapefruit peel, and white grape surge from Simcoe and Nelson Sauvin hops, their tropical exuberance gliding across a velvety body before touches of pine and vinous elegance gather everything into crisp focus. The richness carries its eight percent with remarkable poise, never losing sight of refreshment beneath the abundance. It turns out the best thing on the grill might just be waiting in your glass.
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
