The love of Jared Rouben’s professional life began the way many love stories do – with a rejection.
“When I was in college at the Culinary Institute of America, I tried to join the school’s Wine Club, but I didn’t meet the club’s minimum GPA requirements,” said Rouben, Brewmaster at Moody Tongue Brewing Company. “It’s like, ‘don’t judge me on my English and Math skills, judge me on my palate!’”
So Rouben did what any creative and enterprising person would do in that situation.
“I started my own club – a Brew Club – and everyone was welcome!” Rouben said.
Rouben and his band of beer buddies started sampling flavors from all over the world, except they didn’t need to stamp a passport to go experience them. The club went to a local beer store and tasted brews from Belgium, England, Germany and many more places.
Prepped with an expert-level knowledge of both craft beer and cuisine, Rouben’s built an impressive resume that includes stops at Michelin Star restaurants in Napa Valley and New York City, as well as Brewmaster duties at Goose Island Brewpubs.
Now, as Brewmaster at Moody Tongue, Rouben’s passion for beer and food is reflected in a line of brews that has become a top choice for foodies and craft beer drinkers alike. Breakthru Beverage Group is proud to distribute Moody Tongue in South Carolina, Illinois, Wisconsin and Nevada, and we were thrilled to be able to catch up with Rouben to learn more about his unique brand story.
The Origin
Moody Tongue means “the discerning palate.” Our beer is for someone who cares about what they consume. I don't think anyone ever goes to a restaurant and says, "Hey, give me your most average dish, and could you pair that with your most average beer?"
I have a Moody Tongue, some of the other people do, too. We have to keep to the standards of excellence.
Culinary Brewing
I started out as a chef, and everything I brew is through the lens of a chef. This means that I’m highlighting distinct flavors and aromatics within beer, which is what you do with dishes in the kitchen. I source the best ingredients and know why and when to incorporate them into the beer. The only difference is my medium is a liquid, and I can’t fix a mistake by adding salt, cream or butter. I have to be absolutely meticulous and never compromise on quality of ingredients.
What’s in a Name?
The way we name our Moody Tongue beers is the first word is always the culinary technique – like Smoked. The second word is the flavor and aromatic experience – like Applewood. The third word is the beer style – such as Gold.
Smoked Applewood Gold tells you exactly what you’re going to experience before you open your wallet. It’s important to me to be transparent to the guest, because there are so many options in the beer aisle and sometimes you get burnt out exploring something new. If we can explain our product to the consumer before they taste it, we can earn their trust.
We also have the Steeped Emperor’s Lemon Saison, which is great with seafood. We have the Sliced Nectarine IPA, which is perfect with rich, fatty pork. Finally, we have the Caramelized Chocolate Churro Baltic Porter – have this one with chocolate cake or vanilla ice cream.
Like Father, Like Son
My first love was food. I got that from my father. He loved food and that’s how we bonded. He was a great chef and I would just sit there, watch and taste. Everyone in our family is passionate about the language of the culinary arts. I believe we all share a love of food. We all have that love in common.
Sharing the Love
I love beer because you share it with someone, and it doesn’t matter what differences you might have with that person, having a beer is not so difficult. In fact, it’s fun! Some of my best friendships started with beer.
