Eagle-eyed readers of our weekly email got a heads up on this a couple weeks ago when we spotted it on Moody Tongue‘s Instagram page.
Now, with the below press release, it’s official: Moody Tongue is in China. (Or, for short, MT is in CN.)
Moody Tongue is not the first brewery to have their beers hit Chinese shelves and taplines – we’ve been keeping an eye on the Goose Island Shanghai expansion, which culminated with the opening of their brewpub there in February.
Coincidentally, Brewmaster Jared Rouben is a Goose Island alum, having helmed the Clybourn brewpub for years. Now Rouben’s beers, and those of his former employers, are helping to shape the world’s largest nation in what American craft beer tastes like.
Which seems kinda cool.
PRESS RELEASE:
MOODY TONGUE BREWING COMPANY LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION AND INTRODUCES CULINARY BREWING TO CHINA
Brewmaster Jared Rouben, with culinary experience and training in Michelin-starred establishments from Napa to New York, introduces culinary beers to Asia
(CHICAGO, IL; May 2, 2017) – Moody Tongue Brewery, the Chicago-based culinary brewery, officially begins its international expansion to China. With the Chinese community now taking a greater interest in American craft beers, Brewmaster Jared Rouben found this opportunity to introduce his method of culinary brewing: using a chef’s mindset to highlight flavors of aromatics in beers, to the Chinese market.
To celebrate the launch of expanding in China, Moody Tongue partnered with Hangzhou-based craft brewery Midtown Brewery, to make Moody Tongue’s first collaboration beer. Earlier this month, Rouben and Midtown Brewmaster Eric White joined to create two very unique collaboration beers that incorporate Moody Tongue’s culinary brewing style and ingredients indigenous to Hangzhou.
Jared Rouben and Eric White brewed a lager with Longjing Tea and a Saison with Sweet Osmanthus, highlighting Moody Tongue’s focus on sourcing the highest quality of local ingredients and incorporating them into beers which showcase their delicate flavors and aromas, while also paying homage to traditional Hangzhou culture.
Prior to beginning the collaboration beers with Midtown, Rouben spent two weeks meeting with a number of renowned chefs and local brewers in and around Shanghai to discuss the difference between craft beers and culinary beers, and ultimately sharing with them his idea that you can view and brew beer as food. Last month, Moody Tongue began distribution of its full line up of culinary beers throughout the country of China, including: Smoked Applewood Gold, Sliced Nectarine IPA, Caramelized Chocolate Churro Batlic Porter, Steeped Emperor’s Lemon Saison, as well as the highly coveted Bourbon Barrel-Aged Chocolate Barleywine and Shaved Black Truffle Pilsner.
Moody Tongue beers are being distributed in China by Craft Republic. Craft Republic scours the globe for the finest craft spirits and beer brands, and activates them in the world’s largest consumer market. Founded in 2013 in Shanghai, Craft Republic offers bespoke strategies for their brands and cultivates a new craft culture amongst the emerging classes. Their philosophy is to take the essence transmitted by the brand, and translate it for China.
For more information on Moody Tongue Brewery visit www.moodytongue.com or call 312.600.5111.
About Moody Tongue Brewery Moody Tongue Brewery (2136 S. Peoria Street, Chicago, IL; 312.600.5111) opened in 2014 under the direction of acclaimed brewmaster Jared Rouben. Moody Tongue, a nickname for a guest with a discerning palate, features “culinary brewing,” Rouben’s original approach that combines the worlds of brewing and cooking through the application of a chef’s mindset to the brewing process. Classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Rouben worked in Michelin-starred kitchens such as the Martini House in Napa, CA, and Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York City before moving to Chicago to pursue a career in brewing. In fall 2016, Moody Tongue introduced a tasting room to its brewery in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, serving year-round and limited-release beers in an intimate mid-century modern atmosphere with Michelin-minded service. The Tasting Room is open Thursday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.;Friday from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Saturday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Sunday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.; and Monday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. The Tasting Room is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information, visit www.moodytongue.com.
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Editor’s Note: We receive a ton of beer-related press releases, but we’ll only bring you the ones we think are relevant, fun, interesting, cool, newsworthy, or offer something we’d be interested in checking out ourselves.