130 Years of Brewing Quality for South Africans who Understand a Great Tasting Beer

Daily Maverick

21-05-2025

You can tell a lot about a country by its beer.
Great beer is defined not just by what's on tap, but by how it's brewed, the origins of its ingredients, the expectations it carries, and the pride in every pour. South Africans have long understood what makes a truly exceptional beer – not because they were told, but because they've lived it, celebrated with it, and helped shaped its legacy over generations.
At SAB, we've spent 130 years trying to live up to that standard.
There's a myth that beer is simple. After all, it only takes a handful of ingredients: water, barley, hops, maize, and yeast. But anyone who's brewed knows the truth — that the simplicity of beer is deceptive. Great beer demands discipline, instinct, and deep respect for process. It's equal parts science and soul.
Let's start with the ingredients. Water gives beer its body and balance. Barley adds texture and sugar for fermentation, while hops bring bitterness, aroma, and preservation. Yeast works quietly but powerfully — transforming grain into alcohol and unlocking flavour. And maize — often misunderstood — isn't a shortcut. In South Africa, maize has long been part of the local beer profile, lending crispness, drinkability, and a flavour profile that aligns with our climate and palate.
What elevates these ingredients is where and how they're sourced. At SAB, 95% of what goes into our beer is grown locally. That's not just a statistic — it's a choice. A choice to invest in South African farmers, in local supply chains, and in an economy that needs industries to show up with both capital and care. We work with researchers and breeders to grow barley suited to South African conditions. We cultivate hops in George. And we source maize from farms that have supplied us for generations.
Quality is the throughline. It's what turns raw materials into an experience. In our breweries — seven across the country — we test water dozens of times a day. We discard entire batches if flavour profiles fall outside a narrow window. We brew to standard, not shortcuts.
But beer is more than the sum of its parts. It's culture.
It's the ritual of it. The first sip after a long day. The shared bottle between friends. The memory of a brand your parents drank. The pride in tasting something familiar, even when the world feels unfamiliar.
South Africans don't just drink beer. They expect something from it. That it be consistent. That it be well-made. That it speak to who they are — whether that's through bold flavour like Castle Milk Stout, crisp balance like Castle Lager, or new expressions like Castle Double Malt or Corona Cero.
This, for us, is where innovation meets tradition. We've created new products to meet changing tastes — South Africa's first non-alcoholic beer in Castle Free, the world's first Vitamin D-infused alcohol-free beer in Corona Cero, and a new standard in lager complexity with Castle Double Malt. But we've never chased trends for trend's sake. Everything we brew must still pass the ultimate test: does it meet the expectation of a South African who knows what a great beer tastes like?
And if it doesn't — we start again.
130 years on, we remain students of beer. Of how it's made, of who drinks it, and of what it represents. Because beer isn't just refreshment. It's a marker of quality, a signal of trust, and a product that — when done right — brings people together without saying a word.
That's what we've been chasing for over a century: not just good beer, but good brewing. It's a pursuit that never ends. DM