George Hummel's life-changing moment came while traveling in his youth, when he tasted something quite literally unforgettable.
"There were these weird things in California called microbreweries," says Hummel. "The beer was really different. I couldn't get anything like that back here, so I started making my own."
Fast forward to this fall, when Hummel celebrated the 25th anniversary of Home Sweet Homebrew, a supply shop off Rittenhouse Square that he owns with wife Nancy Rigberg.
Despite its age, the store is more relevant than ever. Philadelphia's food and drink engine continues to be fueled, in part, by beer, and through their tiny shop, Hummel and Rigberg have been bolstering it behind the scene for decades. The region's most important brewers and bar owners - who have basically all gone through Home Sweet's doors - can vouch for that.
As can the couple's resume. They have a wall full of ribbons they've won for their brews. Hummel's book, The Complete Homebrew Beer Book, was just released, and he has taught classes at Temple and Drexel. In 2005, he collaborated with Nodding Head on a beer, "George's Fault," which won the gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival.
Rigberg is the long-standing de facto president of H.O.P.S., the Homebrewers of Philadelphia and Suburbs club, which meets monthly at the store. And in 2008, Ed Rendell presented them with his Governor's Inspiration Award.
When Hummel and Rigberg took over the three-year-old store at 20th and Sansom from the original owners in 1990, Philadelphia was a different place. The neighborhood where the store operates did not have Jose Garces and Stephen Starr restaurants. Dock Street Brewing was a toddler. Tom Peters, cofounder of Monk's Cafe, was years away from opening his landmark bar.
But Hummel and Rigberg's store was always vibrant. Today, every inch of the small space is stocked with home-brewing supplies. Its Ikea shelves hold endless stacks of malt with international names, while packs of yeasts are in a beverage fridge. Baggies are filled with powdery white dextrose. There are containers of peach and raspberry beer extract for sale. There are empty growlers just waiting to be filled with basement beer. White plastic pails have been turned into starter kits, packed with everything needed to brew that first batch. The unofficial shopkeepers, the well-fed felines Jake and Elwood, keep a watchful eye on customers.
