Malt & Grain

What goes into Castle Lager? According to SAB, exclusively ingredients from the Cape and the wider country: barley from around Caledon, hops from the south, and maize from the Free State. The maize replaces a portion of the malt, making the beer lighter and slightly sweeter than a beer brewed from barley malt alone would be.

Caledon lies roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of Cape Town in the Overberg region, an area of wheat fields, canola fields, and sheep pasture. The barley grows through the winter half of the year, when the rains arrive. For AB InBev, Caledon is one of two malting sites, the other located near Johannesburg.

Malting means germinating the grain and then drying it. This process unlocks the starches and enzymes within the kernel, making them available for brewing. Malt destined for pale lagers is only lightly kilned—dried at a gentle heat—to keep its color pale. For darker styles like Milk Stout, more heavily roasted malts are blended in.

Small brewers rarely run their own malting operation, since it only pays off at very high volumes. Instead, they buy in malt and blend varieties until the color and flavor match the recipe. The darker and more full-bodied the beer is meant to be, the more roasted malt goes into the mash.

Set a South African lager next to a German Pilsner, and the difference is unmistakable: less roasted character, less bready depth, more freshness. That's not a weakness—it's a style built for hot days.