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.
