Based on recent customer reviews, South African Breweries is drawing heavy criticism from both trade customers and everyday drinkers. Tavern owners and small liquor traders report paid orders arriving late or never, BEES app licence verification failures, and blocked account applications, while larger retailers appear to be served first. Consumers describe half-full bottles, sealed empty cans, rust, mildew and foreign objects, with careline calls, emails and social media messages going unanswered. Shareholder payouts, provident fund claims and unannounced competition winners add further frustration. One reviewer praised a helpful consultant.
TrustIndex
1.9
NPS Score
-70
Recommended: Unlikely
Nov '25 - Oct '26
Frequently Asked Questions About South African Breweries
What do customers say about South African Breweries?
Based on recent customer reviews, South African Breweries is drawing heavy criticism from both trade customers and everyday drinkers. Tavern owners and small liquor traders report paid orders arriving late or never, BEES app licence verification failures, and blocked account applications, while larger retailers appear to be served first. Consumers describe half-full bottles, sealed empty cans, rust, mildew and foreign objects, with careline calls, emails and social media messages going unanswered. Shareholder payouts, provident fund claims and unannounced competition winners add further frustration. One reviewer praised a helpful consultant.
Is South African Breweries trustworthy?
South African Breweries has a TrustIndex of 1.9 out of 10 on Hellopeter, based on 30 reviews in the last 12 months. Hellopeter has tracked South African Breweries across 443 total reviews. How is the TrustIndex calculated? →
Recent reviews (30)
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Used this business recently? Share your experience to help others decide.
Share Your Experience1 reviews | Active since Apr 2011
Poor Quality
I would like to lodge a complaint regarding a quality issue with your Castle Lite beer. This is now the second case of Castle Lite we have purchased where the bottles have been leaking. The first time this happened, I assumed it was simply a bad batch and did not make a complaint. Unfortunately, this has happened again with the second case, which I purchased from Spar. I stored the bottles on their sides and I have now discovered that several bottles are leaking. As a result, my cupboards are completely wet and have been damaged by the spilled beer. I find this extremely disappointing. This is clearly not an isolated incident, as it has now happened with two separate cases. Castle Lite is not an inexpensive product, and as a consumer, I expect a product of this price to meet basic quality and packaging standards. Having leaking bottles in two separate cases is simply unacceptable. I would appreciate it if you could investigate this matter and advise me on how you intend to resolve it. I can provide photographs and the batch details if required. I look forward to your response. Kind regards, Monita (This is my complaint from 5 September, still waiting for feedback)
1 reviews | Active since Apr 2011
Poor Quality
I would like to lodge a complaint regarding a quality issue with your Castle Lite beer. This is now the second case of Castle Lite we have purchased where the bottles have been leaking. The first time this happened, I assumed it was simply a bad batch and did not make a complaint. Unfortunately, this has happened again with the second case, which I purchased from Spar. I stored the bottles on their sides and I have now discovered that several bottles are leaking. As a result, my cupboards are completely wet and have been damaged by the spilled beer. I find this extremely disappointing. This is clearly not an isolated incident, as it has now happened with two separate cases. Castle Lite is not an inexpensive product, and as a consumer, I expect a product of this price to meet basic quality and packaging standards. Having leaking bottles in two separate cases is simply unacceptable. I would appreciate it if you could investigate this matter and advise me on how you intend to resolve it. I can provide photographs and the batch details if required. I look forward to your response. Kind regards, Monita (This is my complaint from 5 September, still waiting for feedback)
1 reviews | Active since Aug 2026
Best service
Good service from the consaltend Keep up the good work
1 reviews | Active since Aug 2026
Best service
Good service from the consaltend Keep up the good work
1 reviews | Active since Jun 2010
Account payments
good morning, on the 04 July 2026, I updated my profile uploading liquor license. my account had R19500. few days later the money disappeared from my account. can I get explanation about what really happened here. I have log a query before and made calls. Unfortunately till today I don't know what happened to my money
1 reviews | Active since Jun 2010
Account payments
good morning, on the 04 July 2026, I updated my profile uploading liquor license. my account had R19500. few days later the money disappeared from my account. can I get explanation about what really happened here. I have log a query before and made calls. Unfortunately till today I don't know what happened to my money
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2026
sab failing to provide clarity
been sent from pillar to post regarding my pension fund ,sanlam advised that on their end they paid some funds/ a certain percentage p,I'm seeking clarification with regards to rest of my funds and maturity dates ,as I would like to widrawal now my ID number *** aj sibanyoni
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2026
sab failing to provide clarity
been sent from pillar to post regarding my pension fund ,sanlam advised that on their end they paid some funds/ a certain percentage p,I'm seeking clarification with regards to rest of my funds and maturity dates ,as I would like to widrawal now my ID number *** aj sibanyoni
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2026
SAB not delivering to SMME's ( Taverns)
Very poor service regarding bees order and deliveries. Placed an order on bees app 07/07/2026 for deliver 08/07/2026 to date 15/07/2026 no delivery, called their contact center advised to log a complain on bees. This is the 3rd time they are doing this, Ive logged 3 Complains no call to date, SAB is really failing SMME'S big companies are receiving stock without stories. Today truck delivered at Shoprite and other big Shops we Taverns they tell us stories about truck etc
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2026
SAB not delivering to SMME's ( Taverns)
Very poor service regarding bees order and deliveries. Placed an order on bees app 07/07/2026 for deliver 08/07/2026 to date 15/07/2026 no delivery, called their contact center advised to log a complain on bees. This is the 3rd time they are doing this, Ive logged 3 Complains no call to date, SAB is really failing SMME'S big companies are receiving stock without stories. Today truck delivered at Shoprite and other big Shops we Taverns they tell us stories about truck etc
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2022
No Good Times with Castle Lager and Bossa
On 2/7/26 I treated my family to a celebration dinner at Bossa in Nelspruit. Upon arrival I noticed a Castle Lager promotion on the table with the opportunity to be hosted by Castle at a Springbok match. So we ordered the promo. After a while we were informed that Bossa Nelspruit did not have the Castle Draft they advertised and that we had to order something else. No Good Times guys, don`t advertise a promo if you cannot serve it. I was also told that because they did not have stock I could not take part in your competition.
1 reviews | Active since Jul 2022
No Good Times with Castle Lager and Bossa
On 2/7/26 I treated my family to a celebration dinner at Bossa in Nelspruit. Upon arrival I noticed a Castle Lager promotion on the table with the opportunity to be hosted by Castle at a Springbok match. So we ordered the promo. After a while we were informed that Bossa Nelspruit did not have the Castle Draft they advertised and that we had to order something else. No Good Times guys, don`t advertise a promo if you cannot serve it. I was also told that because they did not have stock I could not take part in your competition.
1 reviews | Active since Jun 2026
Half full can of customer service
Bought a 6 pack of black label 500ml cans. 1 of the cans was unopened but half full. Tried numerous times to contact them, sent emails and up to now still no response from 30/05!!!! Very bad customer service.
1 reviews | Active since Jun 2026
Half full can of customer service
Bought a 6 pack of black label 500ml cans. 1 of the cans was unopened but half full. Tried numerous times to contact them, sent emails and up to now still no response from 30/05!!!! Very bad customer service.