Brewed by the
Wasatch Brewery in
Salt Lake City,
Utah,
Polygamy Porter is a relatively new
beer. Its appearance just prior to the upcoming
2002 Winter Olympics in Utah is probably not just a coincidence.
According to Wasatch, Polygamy Porter is "Dark and malty, with a smooth finish". Thanks to Utah's strict liquor laws, the beer has a fairly low alcohol content, but definitely gets full marks for its novelty aspect.
The brewery sparked a major controversy in Utah with their advertising campaign, including the slogans "Why Have Just One?" and "Bring Some Home for the Wives!", poking fun at the former Mormon practice of taking multiple brides. The Mormon-dominated state was considering banning all alcohol-related advertising with a religious theme, but eventually backed down. Few Utah media outlets have been willing to carry the ads even without an official ban, however.
Wasatch founder Greg Schirf, who seems to enjoy tweaking the tail of the straight-laced Mormon church, was quoted by the BBC as saying this about their advertising campaign: "Because so many polygamists marry underage women, we didn't want to be at risk for targeting minors".
Polygamy Porter is again available for sale from the Wasatch web site. They were initially unable to cope with the demand, and were forced to temporarily suspend sales, but shipping has now resumed. More info at: http://www.wasatchbeers.com/pages/beers.html