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Where to Buy Beer Online in South Africa

  • 03 Nov, 2023

Beer drinking is deeply ingrained in South African culture since many centuries. It’s a must-have drink for all kinds of ceremonies, celebrations and social gatherings. Traditional beer brewing is considered a form of art and has remained popular to this day even after the advent of commercial beer breweries. Beer accounts for about 56% of the total alcohol consumption in South Africa, out of which a significant number of people prefer to buy alcohol online.

 

Being the largest producer and consumer of beer on the African continent, South Africa has a huge variety of great tasting beer to choose from. While lager beer is the most popular beer type in South Africa, many small breweries are experimenting and producing different types of beer, particularly in the past 2-3 decades. Some breweries offer beer tours too that showcase the uniqueness of their brewing process and allow people to try out their beer samples.

 

Other than imported beer brands like Heineken and Guinness, most major beer brands are owned and brewed by South African Breweries (SAB). Castle Lager and other Castle beer variants from SAB such as Castle Double Malt beer, Castle Lite and Castle Milk Stout containing lactose, a milk-based sugar are considered amongst the most popular beers of South Africa. Other beer brands that are quite popular here are Hansa Pilsener, Amstel and Windhoek. While strong beers are considered more popular with the older generation. Castle Lite is fast growing in popularity amongst the health conscious youth who are buying more low/ zero alcohol beers.

 

To attract consumers seeking variety and new and unique experiences in beer drinking, breweries keep innovating their beers in terms of formulation and flavour. Volume-wise, flavoured beer is the second most consumed beer type after Lager Beer in South Africa. Varying notes of apple, citrus, spices, herbs and chocolate flavours are used in different combinations to attract and produce these beers. For example, the Bone Crusher from Darling Cellars is infused with aromatic notes of candy along with hints of citrus fruits as well as coriander and clove spices.

 

Other beer types available in South Africa are ale, stout, wheat beer etc. Ale is usually darker and has a higher alcohol concentration than lager along with an intense flavour of hops and a complex slightly spicy or fruity flavour. The sweetness of malted barley in ale is balanced by the bitterness of hops. Ale is brewed using yeast that rises on top of the brewing vessel during fermentation. Stout beer can be identified by its dark colour and has a sweet full-bodied complex flavour. Wheat beer is made up of at least 50% wheat grains, pale in colour and tastes very refreshing and light. It usually has low to medium alcohol content and doesn’t have much bitterness.

 

Craft beer is made using no artificial additives or preservatives and is all natural. It is brewed slowly with care with ingredients such as hops, malt, barley, yeast etc. Many breweries develop their original taste of craft beer by experimenting with the wonderful local ingredients available such as sorghum grain, oats and other millets. People who want to try out more variety and sophistication in beer, rather than go for the full strength traditional beers, are preferring craft beer. Craft beer is often slightly more expensive than other beers.

 

A lot of beer festivals take place around different parts of the country to showcase the finest beer. You can either go to these festivals or go bar hopping for beer tasting. While many supermarkets and stores do sell beer, you may not find them available at all times. Online liquor stores like The Grand Store are open 24 hours, 7 days a week and offers a wide range of beers, be it imported or local at great prices. Speaking of prices, in comparison to the rest of the world, beer in South Africa is quite reasonably priced.

 

Some of the beers available at The Grand Store include:

Amstel

Budweiser

Castle

CBC

Darling Cellars

Guinness

Hansa

Royal Dutch

Stella Artois

Windhoek

Woodstock Brewery

 

If you would just like to enjoy a cold beer alone on a relaxed holiday, or with a few people along with your braai, you can choose to buy in singles. If you want to serve guests at larger gatherings like parties and events, you can choose to buy in bulk packs. Whatever may be the occasion, beer is a wonderful drink to foster some great camaraderie. It’s no wonder that South Africans consider beer to be the country’s unofficial national drink, more so around the sporting season.

 

Shop beers online from The Grand Store and get them delivered right up to your doorstep on time without any hassles. So, wait no more and get ready to place your order right now www.grandstore.co.za