HEYTEA's official "happy alcohol" is taking the beverage industry by storm, with 200 tons sold at the upstream end

This summer, "beer flavor" has become a new growth driver for the tea drink industry.

Just yesterday, Heytea launched its new "Corona Wampee & Peach" drink in Guangzhou, offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal after 6 PM. The promotion went viral across social platforms, with netizens joking that "Heytea has truly become 'Hey-alcohol'."

In addition, tea brands including BaWangChaJi, Ye Ye Bu Pao Cha, Yi He Tang, and Shu Xia have all rolled out new "beer-flavored" beverages. Data from upstream supply chains shows that over 200 tons of beer-flavored raw materials have already been shipped out.

Is "beer tea" set to become this summer's biggest trend?

1

Over 200 Tons Sold Upstream

"Beer Tea" Becomes Young People's New Go-To Drink for Watching Sports

The pace of new "beer-flavored" drink launches this summer has been unusually intense.

On July 6, Heytea unveiled its new tea-cocktail specialty "Corona Wampee & Peach" in the Guangzhou region, blending real beer into fruit tea. Combining wampee and juicy peach with a Qilan oolong tea base, the product quickly became a focal point after its release.

The first sip brings rich notes of wampee and peach, followed by the subtle astringency of alcohol and tea, creating a layered tasting experience. Corona pairs surprisingly well with wampee, and the drink has an alcohol content of no more than 1% — "you won't get tipsy even after two cups."

On July 2, Yi He Tang launched three butter beer-flavored products at once: "Butter Beer Signature Soda" with natural malt aroma topped with a salty creamy foam; "Butter Milk Beer" that layers malt fragrance, milky notes, and the sweet scent of butter; and "Butter Beer Sparkling Americano", which combines malt soda with an Americano coffee base, where the buttery milky aroma softens the coffee's astringency for a light, refreshing taste.

On July 1, Shu Xia released its limited-edition "Sea Salt Cheese Foam Beer Power" in the Chengdu area. The zero-alcohol drink comes with a DIY takeaway packaging set, with consumers commenting that "the malt aroma feels more refreshing than the usual creamy foam style."

Looking further back, on June 29, Ye Ye Bu Pao Cha launched its regional "Hi-Beer" series, including "Hi-Beer Sparkling Iced Tea" with a Wuyi Qilan tea base, and "Orchid Fragrance Hi-Beer Iced Milk Tea" with a Bai Lan Yu Lu tea base. The drinks deliver a blend of sweet malt aroma and subtle bitterness on the palate, with zero alcohol to replicate the authentic beer taste.

BaWangChaJi rolled out Pineapple Shake Smoothie and Green Plum Shake Smoothie nationwide on June 5. Using an Oriental Beauty tea base paired with hop-flavored syrup, the drinks are served in clear cups with steam-whipped foam, and can be shaken to create a "slushie" texture before drinking. Netizens raved that they are "more addictive than craft beer" and the perfect "sports-watching companion."

The dense stream of signals from brands is already strong enough, but even more compelling evidence comes from the supply chain.

The head of marketing at Yi Tian Tian Xia revealed that shipments of hop-flavored syrup this year have exceeded 200 tons as of June, with partner brands spanning BaWangChaJi, Ye Ye Bu Pao Cha, Qilin Da Kou Cha, Man Cha, and many others. "Last year, R&D teams and brands were only requesting samples, but this year they are placing formal orders."

Liu Jianguo, founder of Xi Yan Tea Research, also stated: "Raw materials such as syrup, hop liquid, and fermented glutinous rice are now stable in supply, and both tea drink shops and supermarkets are seeing strong sales."

The leap in supply chain orders, from "just looking" to "actually purchasing," means that "beer flavor" has become an independent product line, not just a single SKU for trial testing.

2

Why the Concentrated Explosion This Summer?

Brands and supply chains would not collectively place such big bets without reason. I've observed that this wave of intensive new product launches perfectly aligns with "the right time, place, and people":

Right Time: World Cup cycle dividends and scenario fit

The 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico kicked off in June. The match-viewing scenario inherently creates a "cheers with drinks" demand, and "beer flavor is strongly linked to the festive atmosphere of watching games and celebratory moments," a representative from Yi He Tang noted.

The tournament covers both early daytime matches and late-night knockout rounds. Traditional beer, with its high alcohol content, tendency to cause bloating, and after-effects of hangover, cannot meet the essential demand for daytime game viewing.

A representative from Ye Ye Bu Pao Cha explained: "Our non-alcoholic Hi-Beer tea drinks can be enjoyed all day long. They refresh you when you get up early to watch games, without affecting your work or classes." Tea drinks have stepped into the time slots that traditional beer cannot cover.

Right Place: Mature supply chain technology and authentic taste

In the early days, malt water tasted bland and felt low-quality. Today, low-temperature membrane dealcoholization, source-controlled alcohol fermentation, and flavor compensation processes have matured, greatly enhancing the fullness of the drink's body.

Standardization of hop syrup in the supply chain — bitterness can be adjusted to different levels, it does not turn astringent when mixed with milk, and does not separate when combined with acidic ingredients. At store level, bar staff can create a "dense beer foam head" simply by shaking with nitrogen, with low operational barriers and consistent product quality. This is exemplified by BaWangChaJi's shake smoothie series.

Right People: The mild intoxication economy evolves from a "novelty" to a "staple"

From a consumer perspective, young people's drinking habits have changed. They reject hangovers, weight gain, and disruption to their work, but crave a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere.

Non-alcoholic beer-tasting drinks do not require a liquor license to sell, and can be sold all day long. They not only extend the operating hours of tea shops, but also fit into light daytime scenarios that traditional alcoholic beverages cannot reach, such as unwinding after work, afternoon tea, camping, and small gatherings with friends.

"Zero alcohol eliminates physical burden, while the subtle sense of intoxication provides emotional comfort."

Shu Xia's brand team revealed that in addition to consumers who are interested in beer flavor itself, a large number of customers who are allergic to alcohol or cannot drink alcohol are also coming to try the new products.

Summer has always been the peak consumption season for stimulating, refreshing drinks like sparkling and iced beverages, and more consumers are willing to experiment with new flavors.

3

What Other Innovations Can Beer Flavor Bring?

Currently, the beer flavor in tea-alcohol drinks on the market mainly comes from three sources:

Hop extraction: Zero alcohol, strong flavor recognition, suitable for creating "beer-tasting specialty drinks," such as BaWangChaJi's shake smoothie series and Ye Ye Bu Pao Cha's Hi-Beer series;

Malt aroma base paired with soda: Zero alcohol, using a toasted bread-flavored malt base with prominent malt notes, paired with soda to deliver a refreshing tingling sensation, such as Yi He Tang's butter beer and Shu Xia's Sea Salt Cheese Foam Beer Power;

Directly adding alcohol to the drink: For example, Heytea's Corona Wampee & Peach and Luckin Coffee's special "Crimson Moonlight" blend.

What other innovations can beer flavor bring? After talking with multiple industry R&D specialists, I've summarized several directions:

First, substitute mild intoxication flavors without necessarily relying on hops. Malt extracts, fermented rice milk, or sweet fermented grains can be used as alternatives, bringing more oriental-style rice and malt aromas that pair better with Chinese tea bases. Ye Ye Bu Pao Cha's Hi-Beer Iced Milk Tea showcases this "sweet malt aroma" approach, which does not follow the pure hop route.

Second, expand the variety of drink bases. Teas do not have to be limited to light, refreshing styles — rich, full-bodied tea bases like roasted oolong, black tea, Oriental Beauty, and kombucha can create layered tastes with malt aroma. For coffee drinks, deep-roast blends work well, where the charred bitter base echoes the caramelized malt fragrance, as seen in Yi He Tang's Butter Beer Sparkling Americano.

Third, build memorable "fermented aroma + scent" profiles. Liu Jianguo explained: "The core combination logic is 'malt + tea or coffee + aromatic notes'." Aromatic elements can come from citrus ingredients (the natural flavor of Cascade hops), fermented fruits (wampee, green plum, loquat), or spices (rosemary, perilla). BaWangChaJi's Green Plum Shake Smoothie, with its "Oriental Beauty tea + green plum + hop" formula, is a perfect example of this logic.

Fourth, innovate product forms. Currently, butter beer-flavored products on the market are mostly soda-based. Yi He Tang's simultaneous launch of three products — soda, milk beer, and sparkling Americano — is already an attempt at form diversification.

Taking it a step further, R&D teams can also explore hop jelly or crystal popping boba (that release flavor when bitten into), nitrogen-whipped "beer foam heads," and layered gradient visuals that mimic craft beer.

Conclusion

Can the "beer-tasting" beverage segment maintain long-term popularity?

Liu Jianguo believes: "The flavor direction is promising in the long run, and this market segment can grow significantly."

Shu Xia's take is more cautious: "Whether it can become a long-term trend depends on stable flavor performance, clearly defined consumption scenarios, and continuous iteration capabilities."

The consensus is that: When the refreshing sensation of beer is infused into tea, mild intoxication is no longer just a marketing gimmick, but a solid path for differentiated competition in the tea drink industry.

This article is from the WeChat public account "Kamen" (ID: KamenClub), written by Shaohua, and republished with authorization from 36Kr.