[citation needed] Castle Lager's origins can be traced to the Johannesburg gold rush of 1886.

Charles Glass, founder of the Castle Brewery, began selling beer to the miners after noticing a gap in the market.

The new beer soon became popular amongst the prospectors of the gold rush, and in 1889 one of Johannesburg's early newspapers, The Digger's News, declared it "a phenomenal success."

Two years later, SAB became the first industrial company to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

In 2002, South African Breweries bought Miller, forming SABMiller.