Moody Tongue Brewing Opening Pilsen Tasting Room Next Month

Moody Tongue Brewing’s Jared Rouben has talked about opening a tasting room inside his Pilsen brewery since opening two years ago. Those plans will come to fruition next month. Moody Tongue put out a help wanted ad two days ago for the upcoming project, revealing he’s close to opening.

This morning, the Tribune confirmed, reporting they’ll serve only oysters and German chocolate cake inside the tap/tasting room. There’s no word if they’ll eventually expand food offerings, as Rouben attended The Culinary Institute of America. As the Trib noted, his beer often features eclectic ingredients such as a $120 Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner. They’ll pour beer from 12 taps inside the tasting room.

Rouben will be on hand this morning at the Green City Market in Lincoln Park and is expected to share more details. Check back later for updates.

UPDATE: Rouben said he's aiming for a late August opening and the tasting room will seat around 75 inside a 10,000-square-foot space. The bookcases are from the Siebel Institute, where Rouben trained, and the books will be filled with vintage German, English and American brewing books, all accessible to guests. That way, if anyone is in the mood to read a filtration book from 1912, they can, Rouben said. Also there won't be any televisions, unless there's a lecturer or a special occasion, such as if the Cubs made it to the World Series.

Rouben said the main motivation for the tasting room was to open the facility to Pilsen locals. Pilsen is a community where businesses need to earn their keep, and Rouben wants to reward them, and invite beer enthusiasts from elsewhere. The tasting room will just help his neighborhood credibility.

On the beer side, they'll have a chance to showcase more of the barrel-aged varieties, including a couple in red wine casks. They'll shuck the oysters table side and have a combo of east and west coast varieties, depending on the day. Staff will be able to talk about what makes for a good beer/oyster pairing. The cake (butter cream, caramel, pecan, toasted coconut, chocolate) will be made in house, by a baker Rouben has known for years. He's impressed by the cake and thinks Instagramers and other guests will be, too: "If you're not rubbernecking from the cake, then you're serving the wrong kind of cake." Why oysters?: "It's what I would eat every day of my life if I could," Rouben said.

They'll determine hours later. Stay tuned for more.