Homesweet Homebrew

I just finished bottling my 6th batch of homebrew beer so it’s high time that I wrote about a local institution called Home Sweet Homebrew. It’s helmed by George Hummel and Nancy Rigberg with some help from Jake and Elwood, who keep the rodents away when the humans leave.

If you’ve ever thought about brewing your own beer and you live in Philly read on for the good news…

Home Sweet Homebrew is located on 20th and Sansom, right beside Fat Jack’s Comic Books and just over from the Capogiro and Tinto. It’s one of the best blocks in the city for just that reason.

Even if you don’ brew your own beer you should stop in the shop some time to meet Jake and Elwood. The two ginger tabbies have what must be the best job in the city-if you’re a cat. They get to hang out with a really nice and relaxed group of humans (my experience with other homebrewers has been nothing but good) during the day and at night use their finely-honed feline senses to hold at bay the hordes of rodents that would love to get into the shop and chomp on all of the grains in the shop.

The shop itself has all of the things a homebrewer could want. It has hops, grains, malt extracts, cleaning supplies, buckets, carboys, winemaking supplies, caps, corks, spices, kegs, bottles and books. If there’s something they don’t have I’m sure they would be more than happy to order it for you. They also ship everything. But the real selling point is the proprietor George Hummel.

George is an amazing resource not only to any homebrewer, from beginner to expert, but also to the city’s non-homebrewing beer drinkers. Why? Because he’s helped create recipes at Nodding Head and other brewpubs, consulted with Tom and Fergie, and been a driving force behind Philly Beer Week! If you’re an afficionado and been in the city for a while you have most likely drunk from the cup of his knowledge and not known it.

For the experienced homebrewer you should know that George and Nancy started the business back in 1986, have been writing and speaking on the subject since then, and George is a regular contributor to the Mid-Atalantic Area Brewing News, often writing on subjects in Delaware and New Jersey as well as Pennsylvania. This guy knows his stuff.

For the neophyte, fear not! They’re also extremely nice! When I was just getting started I was lucky enough to have some extra cash and I was able to buy a nice set of equipment. George made sure to point out that was not necessary, however, and I could have started brewing for a lot less. He’s more than happy to sell you anything in the store but he won’t try to sell you things that you don’t need. They put together their own ingredient kits instead of relying on other people’s pre-packaged ones. The first recipe I made was one of theirs called Amber Waves and it was absolutely delicious.

If you’ve ever thought about brewing your own beer before, or even if you’re just thinking about it right now, do yourself a favor and go down to the shop and talk to George. It’s a very easy process that just takes some good old-fashioned time. You’ll be surprised with how good the results can be and all the possibilites that exist.

The best thing about this shop is George’s willingness to share his knowledge and that’s why I’ll keep going back. Thanks George!

Home Sweet Homebrew
2008 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
phone: (215) 569-9469
Website

For those of you in South Philly you may find
Barry’s Homebrew Outlet to be more convenient. The shop is a bit smaller but still has a large amount of equipment and ingredients available.
Barry’s Homebrew Outlet
101 Snyder Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19148
215-755-4556

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