Moody Tongue Brewing Company

2021:
Recent disturbing sexual assault allegations against Jared Rouben have come to light, but no legal action has been taken, and Rouben declined to make a statement. Allegations also against head chef Jared Wentworth, for repeatedly using the n-word and fostering a toxic work environment. Not people I will support going forward.

2020: 3.8
New location opened late 2019 in the former Baderbrau space (we hardly knew ye). All black everything, neon “2515” to find the place. Plenty of parking, where’s the valet (lol)... the area is a no man’s land, close to Mercy Hospital, and Motor Row, that’s about it. Walking here from the Chinatown train is doable in decent weather, otherwise Uber.

Inside it’s all modern, step into a black void spacepod waiting room with low slung leather chairs, calfskin rug, and a corporate host station setup like an airline desk. Upstairs and to the right is the bar for us common folk. Baderbrau got a postmodern goth makeover it seems. Paint it all black, leave some exposed beams, minimal globe lighting, a fireplace with a bookshelf. Artificial fussy vibe, but easy to overlook.

We sat at a table in back, and the service was super attentive and top notch. More like a nice restaurant than brewery, the constant attention may be a little much for some though.

Food was excellent, quite a variety of dishes. Entrees are a far better bang for your buck ($16-$42), the appetizers were good but very small and pricey ($13-$21). I'd recommend the whole crispy branzino, grilled octopus, and scallop dishes.

Beers were ok, a couple new ones but not varying too much from their standard lineup. Some of the BA stouts were pretty good, though others were lacking depth or had an astringent feel. Quality is slightly above average, nothing especially groundbreaking in the larger context of the local beer scene.

Overall I was fairly impressed, despite being prepared to hate the pretentious vibe. It was better than I expected, though it’s still pretty expensive to dine here. They don’t have a current draft list or any menu prices online either, two of my pet peeves. Many beers were $1 an ounce too. Take that into consideration. Looks like Jared got that fancy restaurant he always wanted, now if he could only brew some better beers to match the excellent food.

such a trendy vibe and decor!! I loved how they pour beer into giant tulip glasses (they are literally the size of my face). It looked like a lot of people around us ordered the german chocolate cake and I'm kinda dying to try it because they all seem to enjoy it so much. I was too full to order a dessert but maybe next time. I love what they do with their beer. A lot of them are culinary/food inspired and experimental, like the churros beer or the lemon one. I think I had a flight and what I remember the most is the baltic porter. Now, that was a solid drink. Definitely will visit again!

EDIT:
Tried out the layered chocolate cake paired with the churro porter and it was amazing! The cake was gigantic and we couldn't finish it, since we already had dinner before going here. Brought the cake home and ate the rest of it for breakfast, still very good. Ok, guys, definitely try the chocolate cake when you visit Moody Tongue.

 

Tour was nice. Their BA Chocolate Layer Cake stout is delish.

I stopped in at Moody Tongue last weekend while visiting Chicago and tried every one of the beers they had on tap, of which there were 10. Their flagships include 3 pilsners, including a smoked one, three total fruit beers, a saison, and a chocolate churro Baltic Porter. These are the FLAGSHIPS. The rotators just get weirder from there. The quality of the beers is high; I would definitely come back, especially to try new rotators.

Service is good. The decor is classy, minimalist but welcoming. Lots of white painted brick. Bookcases on one wall. Faux marble bar. It's original to say the least.

They do cheese plates and do a beer & cake pairing. It's hipster nonsense, but I find it charming.

Update on 2/29/2020

Checked out their new place which used to be Baderbrau. They've revamped most of it, dark walls, very little lighting, one section for the 12 course meals, the bar area with tables/couches and then the event space. The 12 course meal area has different beers than what is offered in the bar area. We had the food which was good but not great. I think they're more focused on the food with their Michelin chef. I like their old space which had more of an inviting look. The two banana beers I had didn't have any smell or taste of banana.


Great beer and amazing dessert.

this is a unique place, as a brewery its a little different, sort of shooting for a higher end vibe, with a beautiful simple fine dining kind of atmosphere and sexy stemware and dressed up service, tablecloths, that sort of thing, and the quality of a lot of it lives up to the image they cast. the beer is clever, culinary, and for the most part very good. we had almost all of them, with a sliced nectarine ipa and a bourbon barrel chocolate barleywine leading the way for me, but some really inspired and interesting offerings in here, all presented very beautifully. food menu is oysters and chocolate layer cake, both very pricey, but we had to try each. solid raw oysters, but the daily selection when we were in did not blow me away. the layer cake has i think 12 layers, but was served a little cold and sort of congealed and yesterday tasting to me, good but also not as regal and epic as they seem to try to convince you it is. i didnt feel duped though, it was huge!!! the beers are good, the service is professional, and we had a pleasant and sort of unexpected fancy time in here. i wish they had more food, and i wish the truffle mushroom beer wasnt 100 and something dollars, but other than that, this place is pretty rad, and super different as taprooms go. well worth your time...