Saturday, September 01, 2007

Why Have Just One?

Hi All,
A few loyal readers have asked about the caption in the previous post regarding one of Utah’s little known treasures; Polygamy Porter. Locally brewed and bottled by Wasatch Brewery, it is a fine dark beer that is perfect for those warm evenings after a 50- mile bike ride.

But where did the term Polygamy Porter come from? What’s the gag? For those of you who may not know, Utah and the early Mormon culture have roots in polygamy. In fact, there are still enclaves of polygamists hiding (?) or at least far, far away in extreme southern Utah. And, even though we have had some legal actions off and on over the years enforcing the obvious laws against polygamy, our reputation of being a pretty weird state is still prevalent.
Over the years, Wasatch Brewery has had a great time marketing their beers; hence the local label: Polygamy Porter and the fun slogans therein: "Bring some home for the wives" and "Why have just one?" They have cool Polygamy Porter T-shirts too. Trust me, they are definitely conversation starters when waiting in long lines! So, that’s where it came from, an ingenious ad slogan, in a funny state, with an odd culture. It’s a perfect fit. Oh yes, by the way, the First Amendment Lager is delicious, too!


If you have been following my blog for a long time, you might notice the dropping water levels of the Great Salt Lake!
In cycling news, this morning I enjoyed a standard 32-mile ride to start the month. It is auspicious only in that today I surpassed 1405 miles, which was my total mileage for 2006. I am still on track for my 2007 goal of 1800 miles.
Some birds, standing in the very shallow water..
In a couple of weeks, I will start my Monday schedule of riding the canyons east of Salt Lake City. Standby for posts from riding City Creek, Emigration, Mill Creek, Big Cottonwood, and the steepest ride; Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Lots of scout groups and families ride the causeway on Saturday...

Happy riding all,

Jim

3 comments:

Paul said...

Alas,

Wasatch Breweries does not export to the midwest!

I'm getting thirsty reading about such nice brews!

bmike said...

Polygamy Porter! I love sitting in Park City sipping a brew or two. Miss the canyons and the mountains... haven't been in your neighborhood in quite some time...

Jerome said...

Hey that's funny. I was in Salt Lake City a few days ago while traveling through and I saw shirts of Polygamy Porter and cracked up. I read this post earlier but wasn't able to put 2 and 2 together until now (good memory just short). I'd have searched it out if I didn't think it was a joke. Oh well. next time.