SPARTA, NEW JERSEY

On three acres of “rolling hills and countryside” in the bucolic Western Jersey mining town of Sparta, MOHAWK HOUSE opened around 2004 after three years of construction. An exquisitely detailed and designed stone manor just off Route 94, this multifarious estate  features several elegant wood furnished dining spaces, a roomy beer-centric bar, an expansive back patio (with hearth, grill and six-draught bar) and second-floor banquet space.

The cavernous red-bricked barroom offers an impressively broad U-shaped, 30-seat bar with decorative Edison light fixtures, bronze Temperance Eagle mural and back-windowed private room overlooking the glorious hillside. A temperature-controlled wine refinery sits across a top-to-bottom fireplace at the capacious right side dining room. The second-floor loft houses a conservatory, library with gas-powered hearth and back study.

Steve Scro, Mohawk House’s owner, enjoys Old World antiques and serving locally grown “farm to fork” upscale cuisine at his Bed & Breakfast-styled sanctuary. A host of cellar-aged bottled beer and great spirits are available alongside 50-plus local-to-national draught selections.

I had visited Mohawk House for a few beer-related events in the past. On this March 2018 mid-afternoon journey, I quaffed five previously untried brews, including three stouts (Green Flash Cacow Milk Stout, Flying Dog Sweet & Smoky Stout and Dark City Urban Decay Imperial Stout) , one porter (Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Blackberry Porter) and a fruity hybrid (Angry Erik Table 19 Infused Peach Tea). All are reviewed fully in Beer Index.

www.mohawkhouse.com