You know what beer drinkers are like, knocking back their pints in South Africa. Beer in South Africa has a long history starting with home brew centuries ago.
Now we hear that that big brewing giant Heineken is chopping 6,000 people in its worldwide operations, but not so for South Africa, where beer drinkers are downing their favourite beer tipple in the hot weather experienced in this country.
There’s a lot of reasons why beer sales are declining, especially in Europe. But South Africa has a long tradition of beer drinking going back to the tickey beer apparently concocted by the Dutch in South Africa. I came across tickey beer this week in a biography I’m reading of on Edgar Wallace by Margaret Lane, which is about the famous British writer.
One of the problems with South African beer drinking is similar to Europe where beers in pubs are getting more and more expensive. Beers these days cost about between R35 and R50 in restaurants. And even a Coke in some restaurants and pubs will cost about R35. If you buy beer for home consumption, then the retail price of beer from these supermarket liquor stores all over the place will be about R20 approximately. That’s for the old pint, which is about 330 millilitres. So it makes more sense to drink beer at home. The problem is that you want to go out occasionally to a pub, but you’re forced to limit your consumption, not only because of the liquor driving laws, but because if you have two beers, there’s R100, poof, gone.
The interesting thing is that while the global beer story looks rather gloomy, the South African story looks anything but. Heineken, the world’s second-largest brewer, has announced it is cutting around 6,000 jobs globally, roughly 7% of its workforce. The reason is straightforward enough: beer sales in Europe and North America are slowing, margins are under pressure, and the company is tightening up its operations. Yet, in the same breath, South Africa is singled out as a “key advancing market,” which tells you everything you need to know about the difference between the global picture and what is happening locally.
In South Africa, the beer market is not shrinking, it is expanding. Heineken’s latest results, released in early 2026, point to what they call “premiumisation,” which is simply a shift by drinkers from cheaper beers to more expensive, branded options such as Heineken itself and Amstel. People are not necessarily drinking more units, but they are drinking better brands, or at least that is the thinking. There is also increased market penetration, meaning more people are entering the formal beer market rather than informal or home-brewed alternatives.
The company has also put serious money behind that belief. Its roughly R38 billion acquisition of Distell, the makers of Savanna and Hunter’s Dry, has effectively made South Africa a hub for its African operations. This is not a company retreating from the country. On the contrary, it is doubling down. And while traditional beer remains strong, there is also a noticeable shift toward ready-to-drink beverages, particularly ciders, which have become hugely popular in South Africa’s warm climate.
It is also worth touching on that tickey beer reference, because it gives a sense of how deep the culture runs. The influence of Dutch settlers on South African brewing goes all the way back to the 17th century, with the first commercial brewery established in 1658 using European techniques. Introduced by Jan van Riebeeck, this thick, triple-grain ale (made of oats, barley, and wheat) was the original ‘standard’ pour of the Cape—long before it was replaced by the thin, industrial lagers we see today. This original beer was the Dutch Kuit (or Kuyt). The “tickey” was a small threepence coin in old South African currency, and tickey beer referred to the cheapest available drink in the early 20th century. Alongside this were the stronger, often illicit brews such as witblits and skokiaan, produced to get around restrictive liquor laws.
Contrast this with what is happening in Europe and North America, where a number of forces are all pushing in the same direction. Younger people, particularly so-called Generation Z, are drinking less alcohol than previous generations. There is also the so-called “sober curious” movement, where people consciously cut back or stop drinking altogether. Then there is the cost-of-living squeeze, which has made a pint in a pub an expensive habit. When a night out becomes unaffordable, people either drink less or stay at home, and sometimes they simply stop.
There are also newer and slightly unexpected factors. Analysts have begun to talk about the impact of weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy, which reduce appetite and, in many cases, the desire to drink alcohol. That may sound far-fetched, but it is already being factored into forecasts. Add to that the rise of non-alcoholic beers, with products like Heineken 0.0 becoming increasingly mainstream, and the growth of so-called “functional beverages” — kombuchas, CBD drinks, and other mood-enhancing alternatives — and you begin to see why traditional beer is losing some of its appeal in those markets.
At the same time, ready-to-drink beverages, including hard seltzers and pre-mixed cocktails, are taking share from beer. They are marketed as lighter, cleaner, and more convenient, and for many younger consumers that is enough to make the switch.
Back home, however, the picture is more familiar. Yes, prices are rising. Yes, people are thinking twice before ordering that second beer at a pub. But the culture remains intact. The climate helps, the social habits help, and the simple appeal of a cold beer on a hot day still carries a lot of weight. Whether it is a braai, a weekend gathering, or a quiet evening at home, beer still has a central place in South African life.
And perhaps that is the point. While global brewers trim costs and rethink their strategies, South Africa continues to stand out as a place where the simple pleasure of a beer has not yet gone out of fashion.
Craft brewers, too, are finding increasing opportunity in this environment, with a growing number of small producers tapping into demand for distinctive, locally made beers.
When you watch the rugby or cricket at home or in a pub this weekend, you will probably notice it for yourself. The preferred drink is still beer. In fact, nothing quite goes down better than a beer while watching sport, whether it is on TV or at the stadium.
