Pope Leo receives cans of “Da Pope” beer brewed in his honor

Illinois Governor Jay Pritzker made a very special delivery to the Vatican on Wednesday, November 19: He gave cans of "Da Pope" beer to Pope Leo XIV.

"We bring good tidings from Chicago," said Pritzker during the meeting. In addition to the cans of Da Pope beer, Pritzker invited Pope Leo to visit Chicago, noting that it has been "in a positive way, mayhem" since the Pope's election.

Pritzker joked Leo could either "enjoy or at least display" the four-pack of Da Pope beer, and Pope Leo replied that "we'll put these in the fridge."

The "Da Pope" beers join the "Da Pope" shirt that Pope Leo received in July.

"We are incredibly honored and excited that Pope Leo received Da Pope American Mild Ale directly from Governor JB Pritzker! The Governor, who visited the brewery and enjoyed the beer back in June, reached out this week to pick up the beer and personally deliver the ale to Pope Leo during his trip to the Vatican," Brent Raska, owner of Burning Bush Brewery, told Aleteia.

Raska continued, saying "a huge thank you to Governor Pritzker for making this happen and thank you to everyone who has raised a pint of Da Pope since we brewed our first batch back in May!"

There are "very limited" cans of "Da Pope" available for sale, but the beer in regular rotation in the taproom at Burning Bush Brewery and will be available on draft in December, said Raska. A dollar from each pint and four-pack sold is donated to charity, he said.

"Da Pope" is an American Mild Ale with a 4.3% ABV, according to its page on Untappd, a beer enthusiast app. The brew is "blessed with biblical levels of flavor" and is "malty, with toasted and caramel notes. It's dark in color, but light bodied and easy drinking."

The can features the image of a pope with a Chicago flag pattern on his back.

For those confused by the name "Da Pope": aside from the obvious inspiration of Pope Leo XIV, the name is a reference to a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch called "Bill Swerski's Superfans."

The sketch, which debuted in 1991 and was seen sporadically throughout the 90s, lampooned the Chicago accent as characters referred to the city's football team as "Da Bears."

Since then, the phrase has taken on a life of its own, going far beyond Chicago — all the way to the Vatican!