Home brewed craft beer & Brewer’s Spent Grain products

A Homebrewer
and A Baker

Join us for brewing craft in a peaceful setting in the diverse Klein Karoo region of South Africa.

Home brewed craft beer & Brewer’s Spent Grain products

WHAT WE DO

We now brew small batches of beer for home consumption. We invite you to join us on one of our brew day where you will learn the methods of brewing that you can implement in your own home. 

A Homebrewer

We implement sustainable organic farming methods.

Baking with Brewer's Spent Grain

Seasonal menu and Spent Grain Bakery.

EXPERIENCES

We offer experiences such as beer brewing classes and guided walks.

ROB & OLGA

ABOUT US

The journey began in 2015 as we were driving to town and saw a field of barley. Right there Rob said: “I’m going to brew beer, it’s time now. All I need is barley, hops, yeast and a few simple things”. We bought everything from a local shop and our neighbour Ebon, who’s field gave us such an enthusiastic push, donated to our experimental exercise 3 bags full of barley, it was amazing to see how a combine harvester spews out grain straight from the field. For that very first batch of beer Rob did everything from the scratch starting with malting the grain.

Show More

That beer was amazing – to say the least. So now, after having brewed hundreds of batches of beer we can determine the style of that first attempt and categorise it as I.P.A. where “I” stands for “Inspired”.

After a few more batches we applied to the South African authorities for the liquor license to micro manufacture beer. We changed our 20L bucket system to 500L tanks, bought some glasses, plates, knives and forks and in 2018 we opened Thorny Creek Brewery and The Red Bus Cafe on our Veranda.  How simple and beautiful it was! We only had three tables and nothing else really – a very rustic setting surrounded by a few trees, aloes, the hills of our property. People started coming, we were brewing, serving food and it was an incredible journey offering craft and organic, the best  of the best we could find. We harvested our own vegetables, made juices, pink ravioli and green papardelli from the scratch… we will treasure these memories forever. Those who set at our three tables had the most interesting experience in the little hamlet of  Kleynspoort, a small but steadily growing village near Oudtshoorn, the Ostrich capital of  South Africa. All profit was invested back to our business.

When we discovered that we could actually use a bi-product of brewing – brewer’s spent grain – our menu went to a different level: it was not just bread it was bread baked with beer and spent grain, a cake wasn’t just a cake it was cake baked with spent grain flour and our organic vegetables.  For some people it might have seemed that we simplified our menu but we saw it differently. We refined our operation. With this concept we went through Covid and through stages of busy and quiet weekends. Seven years of this operation flew by fast then we decided to take some time off. To think and reflect.

Our main objective was no waste sustainability. We loved it, our customers understood and supported this concept. We would now like to spread our method of brewing and baking to households.

CRAFT BEER

Homebrewing

We put a lot of time and effort into brewing a variety of whole grain beers, keeping it as natural as possible. The best natural ingredients selected from around the world  – this is our philosophy.  Our styles are seasonal.

Wild Honeybush Ale

Brewed with South African Wild Honeybush creating unique floral flavours.

Thorny Creek Weiss

German-style wheat beer that is top-fermented with a special strain.

Imperial Russian Stout

A dark, rich and full-bodied beer.

Indian Pale Ale (IPA)

This popular refreshing variant is hop forward and full of citrus aromas.

Alcohol Free Weiss

Drink as much as you like!

Brewer’s Spent Grain (BSG)

One of the advantages of a brewing is the by-product called Brewer’s Spent Grain (BSG). BSG is rich in fiber and protein and has a high nutritional value.

Our Brewer’s Spent Grain Flour (coarse and fine) can be used to bake products that is not only delicious, but also full of antioxidants, fibre and phenolic compounds. Click HERE to learn more and see some of our products.

ORGANIC & NATURAL FOOD

BAKING WITH SPENT GRAIN

This is where we came from. We served fresh, natural food straight from our own organic garden. We believe in the benefits of sustainable farming, such as reducing pollution, conserving water, and increasing soil fertility.

Our culinary garden provides us with fresh herbs, fruits, seeds and vegetables, which we use to create delicious and nutritious meals for our customers. Our menu was purely seasonal on what we had freshly harvested. 

If you decide to join us for a Homebrewing experience, we will treat you with these culinary delights.

BREWING CLASSES, & 

EXPERIENCES

At Thorny Creek Brewery and The Red Bus Café we offer a variety of experiences. We also offer packages with meals and accommodation included.

Our “Brew Day on the Farm” is an excellent hands-on learning experience that covers all steps of the brewing process including milling, mashing, boiling, hop additions, cooling & yeast pitching as well as spent grain processing.

For the “Karoo Succulent Adventure” you can join us for a 2-hour guided walk through unspoiled fynbos covered hills identifying a variety of indigenous succulents finishing off with a refreshing craft beer tasting session at our Brewery.

A truly perfect way go spend a South African Heritage Day. Fantastic beer brewed by Rob along with the braai fires, homemade butter to go on the bread made with Russian Stout and a killer salad!
Will be back here for sure!

Robin G

The most beautiful setting surrounded by flowering aloes with exceptional hosts (Rob & Olga). Food was delicious! Crisp fresh produce home grown in their veggie/herb gardens. Kids spent the afternoon feeding all the little birds that came to visit from the surrounding trees. Magic place! Definitely worth a visit!

Candice McKechnie

Thorny Creek Brewery is a rustic little place in a beautiful setting. The beer that is brewed by the owner is fantastic and so is the food. We loved everything and every moment spent at Thorny Creek. This little brewery is so worth a visit and we will definitely be back.

StellaJ09

A Homebrewer and a Baker

Address: Thorny Creek, Oudtshoorn, South Africa, 6625
GPS: S 33.6709, E 22.3136

+27 72 273 1926
Directions
basilhof@gmail.com
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025. A Homebrewer and a Baker. All Rights Reserved. Website developed by Think Bureau