Casa Humilde Cerveceria Celebrates Its Roots
By David Nilsen
Casa Humilde Cerveceria was founded by brothers Jose and Javier Lopez after years of homebrewing in their childhood home in the Hermosa neighborhood of Chicago. From their earliest batches of beer, the Lopez brothers have infused their beers with flavors and ingredients from their Mexican heritage. Beers using prickly pear cactus, hibiscus, cacao, coffee, piloncillo sugar, and others connect these brothers to the sensory memories of their childhoods and the culinary traditions of their culture, and offer windows through which those of us outside those traditions can peer in and take a look.
The brewery operates out of District Brew Yards, an innovative taproom concept that brings four breweries—Casa Humilde, Around the Bend, Bold Dog, and Burnt City—together around a shared seating area, allowing customers to choose and pour their own beers from any of the four breweries. Many of Casa Humilde’s beers are based on Belgian ale styles, and the brothers infuse these beers with ingredients from Mexican culinary tradition.
One great example is Nopalli, a 5% ABV Saison brewed with prickly pear cactus. The beer harkens back to a childhood memory for Jose and Javier.
“That’s a memory of us driving to Mexico every summer as kids, and my dad buying prickly pears on the side of the road in a bag and we’d go to town on them,” says Jose.
The beer is light and refreshing and full of bright flavors. A similarly sunny disposition can be found in beers like Mesita and Media Naranja. Mesita is a 3.4% ABV Table Beer brewed with hibiscus for a pink hue and fruity, floral flavors. Media Naranja is a 5.2% ABV Pale Ale brewed with tropical Mosaic and Citra hops and orange peel. The name means “other half,” and was brewed for Jose’s wedding in 2020.
At the richer end of the spectrum, Tempestad is an Imperial Stout brewed with Mexican vanilla and Ecuadorian cacao from TCHO Chocolate. Rich, roasty chocolate flavors are bolstered by the gentle vanilla and subtle fruit acidity of the cacao.
“So many stouts just go overboard with the ingredients. It can be too much,” explains Jose, saying they wanted their Imperial Stout to still be balanced. “We’re really happy with Tempestad.”
Casa Humilde also brews two different Mexican-style Lagers and some excellent hazy IPAs and Pale Ales.
You can hear all about Casa Humilde’s beers and listen to Jose talk about the inspiration behind them (as well as hearing from Madhu Chocolate) in Episode 06 of Bean to Barstool below!