N.J. brewery unveils Sparta-only brew at Mohawk House

SPARTA — Sparta’s Mohawk House is no stranger to a tap takeover, but they wanted to do something special after three-plus years of collaboration with Atlantic Highland’s Carton Brewing.

“We’ve been dealing with Carton since they opened,” said Mohawk House manager Ricky Soni. “We didn’t want it to be just another tap takeover.”

07871
To create the special touch, Carton Brewing owner Augie Carton created a special Sparta-only beer called 07871, correlating with Sparta’s zip code.

To make 07871, Carton used their signature double India pale ale (IPA) 077xx and dry-hopped the beer with Mosaic hops, a choice made by the Mohawk House’s expert bar staff.

“Carton is making beer for different zip codes in New Jersey by using different hops,” Soni said. “[Mosaic] are one of our favorite hops, so it was an easy choice.”

In addition to the Sparta-centric beer, the Jan. 22 event highlighted 14 other Carton beers — including the season’s inaugural pour of the popular “regular coffee” beer and a Toblerone chocolate-infused “Carton of milk” draft.

“We’re not just going to put their beers on tap,” Soni added, “we’re going to work with the brewery hand-in-hand to create a one-of-a-kind event.”

The effort didn’t go unacknowledged, either, as bartender John Schlaffer said the Carton event was “probably the most successful tap takeover we’ve had.”

Love your locals
Since the restaurant opened, the Mohawk House has crafted a reputation for working extensively with local purveyors and organizations.

“Whether it’s OSCAR or Carton it’s great to support what’s in your own backyard,” Soni said.

“It’s all about supporting our locals and growing with them,” Mohawk House owner Steve Scro added. “We pour the people we believe in, and Carton are experts in their craft.”