Beerlandia: Changbaishan Beer
Most of my Chinese beer reviews have a lot in common. The smell, aroma, taste, and strength generally fit into the same box. Perhaps this is because binge drinking in China is always done at dinner, and you need a specific type of beer for that. Conformity is also the norm here. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and the massive breweries in China are aware that straying too far from what is considered a “normal beer” may not be met with much enthusiasm.
Beer: Changbaishan Beer (Quanyangquan Spring)
Brewery: Fusong Changbaishan Beer Ltd.
Country: Fusong, China
Style: Pale Wheat Lager
ABV: 3.7%
Beerlandia Advisory: A pleasant surprise that stands out among bland Chinese lagers.
However, I can still be surprised. One of my favorite things about traveling in China is trying the local pale lager. As bland as it can be, it’s a different take on the same type of beer, and eventually, some differences stand out. On my recent trip to Changbaishan - a mountain sitting on the Chinese-North Korean border - I quickly sniffed out the local lager, which is famously brewed with spring water from the mountain. I had to crack one open to see if it made any difference in an appropriate setting - a large Dongbei feast out in the middle of nowhere.
“Cheers” in Chinese translates to “dry glass”, which would be troublesome if those glasses were pints.
We had these beers straight out of the fridge in a Northeast Chinese-Korean fusion restaurant, poured into the typical small beer glasses you would see anywhere in China. “Cheers” in Chinese translates literally to “dry glass”, which would be troublesome if those glasses were pints.
Experienced Chinese beer drinkers will immediately notice the generous white head that actually sticks around for a while instead of immediately vanishing. Underneath that is a bubbly pale straw-yellow beer that looks quite refreshing.
The aroma is a bit more complex than the bog-standard Chinese beer. The sweet malt that you usually get is definitely present, but underneath that is a thin layer of crisp floral hop notes that you virtually never smell in your beer here. Wheat is used in the brewing process - although not at all a witbier - and that comes through on the nose. The aroma matches the appearance quite well. For once, I didn’t get my nose wet.
Heaven Lake rests in the crater of Changbaishan on the China-North Korea border.
Guo Bao Rou is a famous Dongbei sweet fried pork dish that goes great with beer.
It could be the 1,442 steps we climbed to the top of Changbaishan earlier in the day or it could be that fresh mountain water this is allegedly brewed with. Whatever the case, the result is a crisp, thirst-quenching beer that pairs perfectly with guobaorou, a heavenly, life-span shortening deep-fried pork dish. The dry sweetness of the wheat is there with a modest touch of bitter hops. The light body and heavy carbonation are the last components that build a highly drinkable session beer.
Down from the mountain
It’s China. Is the water in this beer actually from its namesake Quanyangquan Spring? We’ll probably never know. All I can say is that Fusong Beer succeeded in brewing a beer with a body and flavor profile that perfectly fits a mountain resort setting that gives you that crisp refreshment you’ll be seeking after a long day of walking up a mountain with thousands of Chinese tourists, competing with them to get a photo of the thing, then walking back down again. ◉
Written by Seth Barham
