Type | Pale lager |
---|---|
Manufacturer | South African Breweries (AB InBev) |
Country of origin | South Africa |
Introduced | 1895 (under the SAB banner) |
Alcohol by volume | 5% |
Related products | Castle Lite, Castle Milk Stout |
Website | Official website |
Castle Lager is a South African pale lager. It is the flagship product of South African Breweries and has been recognised as the National Beer of South Africa [ citation needed ] [1] , based on the fact that it is 100% grown and produced in the country.[ citation needed ]
Castle Lager's origins can be traced to the Johannesburg gold rush of 1886. Charles Glass, founder of the Castle Brewery, began selling beer to the miners after noticing a gap in the market. The new beer soon became popular amongst the prospectors of the gold rush, and in 1889 one of Johannesburg's early newspapers, The Digger's News, declared it "a phenomenal success." In 1895, on the success of Castle Lager, South African Breweries (SAB) was founded, with its head office being the Castle Brewery. Two years later, SAB became the first industrial company to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Today, Castle Lager is brewed in nine countries and is available in over 40 countries worldwide. [2] [3] In 2000 Castle Lager was awarded in the "World's Best Bottled Lager" category at the Brewing Industry International Awards.
In 2002, South African Breweries bought Miller, forming SABMiller. In 2016, Anheuser-Busch InBev acquired SABMiller.
Castle Lager sponsorships have included:
Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed brand of Australian lager. It is owned by the Japanese brewing group Asahi Group Holdings, and is brewed under licence in a number of countries, including its biggest market, the UK, where the European rights to the brand are owned by Heineken International.
The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the Miller Brewery at the site of the original Miller Brewing Company complex.
South African Breweries is a major brewery headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa and was a wholly owned subsidiary of SABMiller until its interests were sold to Anheuser-Busch InBev on 10 October 2016. South African Breweries is now a direct subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV.
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Castle Brewery is one of the oldest commercial breweries in South Africa. As company-endorsed legend would have it, the company was founded by Charles Glass in Johannesburg in 1894. UCT history professor Anne Kelk Mager has argued that the official SAB story overemphasized the role of Charles and that it was his wife Lisa Glass who was primarily responsible for the creation of Castle. It later merged with other breweries to form South African Breweries, which still later merged with Miller of the United States to form SABMiller.
Beer in South Africa has a long history, with a corporate history dating back to the early 20th century.
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East African Breweries Limited, commonly referred to as EABL, is a Kenyan-based holding company that manufactures branded beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages.
SABMiller was one of the top five global brewing companies, and had a range of over 150 beers, including international beers such as Pilsner Urquell, and Miller Genuine Draft, and local ones such as Gambrinus and Castle Milk Stout.
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV is the largest beer company in the world. It had 200 brands prior to the merger with SABMiller on October 10, 2016. The combined ABInBev/SAB Miller entity has approximately 400 beer brands as of January 2017.
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Intafact Beverages Limited is a brewing company based in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria. Since 15 December 2017, it is a subsidiary of International Breweries Plc.
Kgalagadi Breweries (Pty) Limited are brewers based in Gaborone, Botswana. They produce lager beers, traditional beers, bottled water and soft drinks under license. The brewery started out as Prinz Brau, with two brands, Prinz Brau and Prinz Deluxe.
Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) is the leading beer manufacturer in Uganda.
Tanzania Breweries Limited, also referred to as TBL, is the oldest and largest brewing company in Tanzania.
Brauhaus am Damm is a German micro-brewery, brew-pub and restaurant in Rustenburg, South Africa, overlooking the Olifantsnek Dam and Magaliesberg.