Wheat King
Harbin Brewery Group

My 800th review!

I walked into a random Chinese supermarket in Preston, a suburb of Melbourne, in March 2026. They had a number of random beers, so I bought this one. I initially thought it was Harbin Beer, but through some sleuthing, I have since discovered it's Harbin Wheat King. I drank this a week or so after finding it.

L: This one is an exceptionally clear, straw-yellow to light gold colour. The fast-receding head was bright white but quickly thinned to a thin smear around the edge of the glass. Lots of bubbles swirl up the glass.

S: The aroma is very clean, with the slightest touch of overly sweet malts and maybe corn. Otherwise, there is literally nothing else to speak of. This presents a quandary - do I mark it high for being clean, or mark it low for having no aroma?

T: This tastes exactly as expected, and is perhaps best summarised as "slightly beer-tasting water". It's overly sweet, full of corn, some rogue alcoholic notes, minerality, and a sickeningly sweet corn-led aftertaste that lingers longer than I want it to, despite the overall taste withering away to nothingness as the swallow gets underway. There are presumably hops in here, but none are on show.

M: Carbonation is low, and the thinness of the body accentuates its absence. It's like drinking a bottle of Coke that's been left open too long.

O: Ok, let's be honest. This is not a beer connoisseur's beer. It's designed to be smashed by people who want the act of drinking a beer but who really just want something that isn't quite water. It's no good at all; its appearance is its only redeeming feature. If I never drink a Harbin beer again (and to be honest, I can't imagine a scenario where I do!), I'll be fine.

Cheers!
#800