South African Beer Facts — Calories, ABV & Rankings
How many calories are in your favourite SA beer? What's the strongest craft beer brewed locally? This page answers those questions with real data. We track 814 beers from South African and international breweries — each entry verified against official labels, brewery spec sheets, and our own 35-year editorial database. Sort, filter, and compare beers by ABV, calories, style, and brewery below.
Loading…
814
Beers catalogued
151
Breweries covered
348
Unique styles
98%
High confidence
Strongest beers (by ABV)
- 1.Opus Aeternum: The Neverending BoilSoul Barrel Brewing Co. · Western Cape17.5%High confidence
- 2.Crazy Diamond – Belgian Strong Dark AleTriggerfish Brewing · Western Cape13.2%High confidence
- 3.Old Cellar BarleywineSoul Barrel Brewing Co. · Western Cape12.3%High confidence
- 4.Merry Imperial Irish RedFriar’s Habit Craft Brewery · Gauteng12.0%High confidence
- 5.Grootslang BottleAfro Caribbean Brewing Company · Western Cape11.2%High confidence
- 6.Loxtonia Blush MTCLoxtonia Cider · Western Cape11.0%High confidence
- 7.Loxtonia Brut MTCLoxtonia Cider · Western Cape11.0%High confidence
- 8.Monsterfish – Russian Imperial StoutTriggerfish Brewing · Western Cape11.0%High confidence
Highest-calorie beers (per 330 ml)
- 1.Windhoek LagerWindhoek Draught461 kcalHigh confidence
- 2.Amstel RadlerAmstel South Africa222 kcalHigh confidence
- 3.Special BrewCarlsberg218 kcalHigh confidence
- 4.Craftwerk Hop Head 7Bitburger Brauerei214 kcalHigh confidence
- 5.Flying Fish Chilled Green AppleFlying Fish · Gauteng211 kcalHigh confidence
- 6.GUINNESS FOREIGN EXTRA STOUTGuinness211 kcalHigh confidence
- 7.Bitburger WinterbockBitburger Brauerei208 kcalHigh confidence
- 8.ERDINGER PikantusErdinger Weissbier208 kcalHigh confidence
All beers
814 beers found
| Beer | Brewery | Style | ABV | kcal / 330ml | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'El Juicy | That Brewing CompanyKwaZulu-Natal | New England IPA | 6.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| 0.0 Alcohol Free | CarlsbergN/A (International brand) | alcohol free pilsner | 0.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| 1645 Lager | Just BrewingGauteng | Lager | 4.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| 18-Pounder Session IPA | Noon Gun BreweryWestern Cape | Session IPA | 4.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| 1809 Style Berliner Weiss | Mainstream Brewing CompanyGauteng | Sour - Berliner Weisse | 3.5% | — | High confidence· official |
| 1883 | CarlsbergN/A (International brand) | Traditional Dark Lager | 4.6% | — | High confidence· official |
| 33 DEGREES SOUTH IPA | Boston BreweriesWestern Cape | IPA | 5.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| 333 1/3 (Pale Ale) | Ale HouseNorth West | English Pale Ale | 4.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| 4x4 BraaiPA - Pale Ale | Darling BrewWestern Cape | Dry-Hopped Pale Ale | 5.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' | LagunitasWestern Cape | Wheat IPA | 7.5% | — | High confidence· official |
| ABRU Stout (Coffee) | ABRU Craft BreweryWestern Cape | Stout - Coffee | 5.5% | — | High confidence· official |
| Affirmative Stout | Mainstream Brewing CompanyGauteng | Stout - Foreign / Export | 5.5% | — | High confidence· official |
| Africa Pilsner | Route 96 BreweryNorth West Province | Pilsner - German | 5.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| African Porter | Swagga BreweriesGauteng | Porter | 4.5% | — | High confidence· official |
| African Queen | Stellar BreweryFree State | IPA - Session | 6.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| African Queen Session Pale Ale | East End BreweryFree State | Session Pale Ale | 4.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| African Red Ale | Havoc BrewWestern Cape | Red Ale - Other | 4.5% | — | High confidence· official |
| African Son Lager | The Italian Job BreweryWestern Cape | Pale Lager | 3.8% | — | High confidence· official |
| Agars “8” Belgian Dubbel | Agar's BreweryGauteng | Belgian Dubbel | 8.3% | — | High confidence· official |
| Ale / East Coast Weiss | East Coast Brewing CompanyKwaZulu-Natal | Blonde / Golden Ale | 4.8% | — | High confidence· official |
| Ale of Origin Gueuze, 2024 Best Beer in Africa | Soul Barrel Brewing Co.Western Cape | Gueuze | 8.5% | — | High confidence· official |
| Alesation IPA | The Kennel BreweryWestern Cape | IPA | 5.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| All day Blonde Ale | Lilypatrick Craft BreweryWestern Cape | Blonde Ale | 5.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| Amandla Ale | Buchanan’s BreweryWestern Cape | Pale Ale - Other | 5.0% | — | High confidence· official |
| Amber Ale | Emerald Vale Brewing CompanyEastern Cape | English Brown Ale | 5.4% | — | High confidence· official |
Showing 1–25 of 814
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in Castle Lager?▾
A standard 330 ml Castle Lager contains approximately 143 calories (kcal). The exact figure depends on the batch, but Castle Lager sits in the typical range for a 5% ABV pale lager.
What is the strongest beer in South Africa?▾
The strongest commercially available SA beer by ABV varies as breweries release limited editions. Our database tracks ABV for 800+ beers — check the “Strongest Beers” ranking on this page for the current top 10.
How are beer calories calculated?▾
Beer calories come primarily from alcohol and residual carbohydrates. A rough formula is: calories per 330 ml ≈ ABV × 2.5 × 3.3 + residual sugars. We use official label data where available and flag estimated values as medium confidence.
Which South African beer has the lowest calories?▾
Non-alcoholic and ultra-light beers have the fewest calories. Among alcoholic options, light lagers like Castle Lite typically sit around 100 kcal per 330 ml. See our lowest-calorie ranking for the full list.
Where does your beer data come from?▾
We combine official brewery spec sheets, retail label photographs, and our own editorial database built over 35 years in the SA beer industry. Each entry shows its source type and confidence level. Read our editorial policy for the full methodology.
How we verify data
We combine official brewery sources, label data and our own editorial database (35 years inside the SA beer industry). When official figures aren’t public, we estimate using style-typical values and flag the entry as medium or low confidence. ABV is treated as authoritative when it appears on the label or official spec sheet.
Read our editorial policy for the full methodology and corrections process.
What “last checked” means
Every beer entry has a last checked date. We refresh data on a rolling three-month cycle, prioritising beers with new label artwork, recipe changes or seasonal variants. Spot a discrepancy? Email a correction.