Brewpub club taps Polygamy Porter

Beer drinkers throughout America can now take a Utah-brewed beer "home to the wives."

Wasatch Beer's Polygamy Porter, which received national attention because of a local billboard company's prohibition of its polygamy-themed advertising campaign, may now get national recognition for the beer itself.

Starting next month, the beer will be shipped to members of Realbeer.com's American Brewpub Club as its selection of the month, a distinction previously unheard of for Utah beers that are often rumored to lack flavor because of a low alcohol content. The beer also can be ordered and delivered by mail to 18 states coast to coast.

"There is a lot of misnomers about the Utah beer and quality," Wasatch Beer President Greg Schirf said. "We think we make great beers here."

Realbeer.com is also selling Wasatch's Not 2002 Ale and Squatter's Full Suspension Ale and St. Provo Girl Pilsner through its Rare Beer store, the first time Utah beer has been sold by direct mail, Schirf said. Because of Utah laws prohibiting the shipment of alcohol in the state, the breweries had to find a wholesaler that had licenses in the states that do allow alcohol shipments, Schirf said.

While Polygamy Porter was not the first controversially themed beer that Wasatch has produced — the Not 2002 Ale challenged the 2002 Olympic Games branding — it did receive more national attention after Reagan Billboards refused to run the ads featuring a scantily clad man and six women with the slogan "Take Some Home for the Wives." Because of that, Schirf said, many people began to inquire about the beer.

"People are buying the beer for the first time because of the name," he said. "They keep buying it because of the flavor."

Although the Utah breweries can produce higher-alcohol beer, the Polygamy Porter shipped to other states is identical to the stuff sold in Utah grocery stores. In fact, the only thing higher about the beer sold over the Internet is the price: $29.95 for a 12-pack, compared to about $12 if bought locally.

The advertising campaign also attracted the attention of Realbeer.com, which already had been considering featuring a Utah brewery, spokeswoman Sarah Lessen said.

"A lot of people wanted to taste this beer," which made Polygamy Porter a perfect fit for the American Brewpub Club, she said. "Our theme is 'Beer you can't get anywhere else.' "