Inside the Kitchen: Seven Questions with Moody Tongue's Jared Rouben

5 Minutes read

04 Mar 2025

Journalist

Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Jared Rouben is a culinary-trained brewmaster redefining beer as both an ingredient and an accompaniment. His Chicago-based brewery, Moody Tongue, supplies signature and seasonal beers to three distinct dining concepts across the U.S.: a hyper-seasonal, Michelin-starred tasting menu in Chicago, omakase in New York City and West Palm Beach, and Tokyo-Neapolitan pizzas in NYC.

What Is Your Deserted Island Meal?

A never-ending supply of oysters that I could shuck and eat raw or roast over an open fire. For what it's worth, I’m also pretty sure I could find some citrus growing somewhere on the island—something I could ferment into a tasty pairing for my oysters.

What’s Your Most Poignant Food Memory?

Before we started Moody Tongue, my business partner Jeremy, who grew up in Texas, and I went on a Texas barbecue tour. Tasting barbecue like smoked brisket and ribs from the best pitmasters in Texas was a treat that I will never forget.

What Does Fine Dining Mean to You?

To me, "fine dining" is the opportunity to excite the senses of our guests. It means welcoming diners with warm hospitality and presenting cuisines in ways that makes our guests wonder how on earth food could taste so delicious. It's bringing to life all of the layers of flavors from the best ingredients and creating balance when pairing with beverages.

What Are Your Restaurant Goals or Dreams?

My goal is to continually find new and thoughtful ways to bring exceptional foods and beers together. Last year, we focused on pairing Moody Tongue beers with fine dining at Moody Tongue Chicago, sushi at Moody Tongue Sushi, and Tokyo Neapolitan pizza at Moody Tongue Pizza. I am excited to see which cuisine inspires our next beer pairings.

What’s On Your Restaurant Bucket List to Visit?

I was inspired by the tempura restaurant, Shunkeian Arakaki in Tokyo last year. I would love to visit that restaurant again and check out Tempura Kondo and Tempura Motoyoshi in Tokyo.

What Is Your Food/Cooking Philosophy?

My philosophy has always been to source the best ingredients for the opportunity to make the best food and beer. Half of the fun is tracking down great ingredients through farmers and artisanal producers and then figuring out how to make them shine in our beer.

What's Your Comfort Food?

Matzah ball soup—originally from my grandma, Clara, and now from my wife, Alexis. It’s the perfect soup to enjoy in winter with family.

The Chef

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Rouben's early food memories include fried fish lunches with his grandmother and discovering the golden-labeled Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss in his father’s garage fridge. While attending Washington University in St. Louis, he found his passion for food and storytelling in a food journalism class, which led him to enroll at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York. There, he founded the Brew Club, exploring the relationship between beer and food while working with ingredients from breweries like Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head, and Magic Hat.

Rouben began his career in fine dining, working in the kitchens of Martini House (Napa Valley) and Per Se (New York City). While honing his technique under Thomas Keller, he recognized a gap in the way beer was regarded in restaurants. Determined to change that, Rouben pivoted from the kitchen to brewing, enrolling at Chicago’s Siebel Institute—one of the most prestigious brewing schools in the world.

After working as a brewmaster at Goose Island Beer Company, where he launched the Farmers’ Market Series and Chef Collaboration Series with chefs like Rick Bayless, Paul Kahan, and Stephanie Izard, Rouben took the leap to open Moody Tongue Brewing Company in 2014. By combining his fine dining background with brewing expertise, he introduced the concept of culinary brewing, applying the same discipline, ingredient sourcing, and techniques used in haute cuisine.

Moody Tongue made history in 2021 when its 15-course tasting menu earned a Michelin star, making it the world’s only Michelin-starred brewery—a distinction it has retained ever since. Today, Moody Tongue has expanded beyond its Chicago flagship, with Moody Tongue Sushi in New York’s West Village (2023), Moody Tongue Pizza in the East Village (2024), and Moody Tongue Sushi in West Palm Beach (2025).

Rouben continues to push the boundaries of what beer can be, elevating it from a casual drink to a gastronomic experience on par with the world’s best wines and spirits.

04 Mar 2025

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