Meanwhile, Back to Beer

When one is a committed locavore, temptations abound: The sophisticated Europeans, the sexy Scandinavians, the festive Mexicans, the cultured cluster of Canadians, the cheap Chinese, and, of course, the free-spirited left coasters. The granola crunching Vermonters are off limits. Even the real stuff from Bar Harbor is out of local. I paced the bar and ogled the stock. Three times. And then I sat down and ordered a 420 IPA. I sipped it, deeply. I ordered again. An Allagesh Dubbel this time. Again the sipping. Twice this time--I'd slowed down--before setting my empty glass down. A calmness returned. My third and final beer, another Dubbel, went down smooth and easy. I'd gone in to the belly of the beast, Portland's newest beer bar, Prost! International Tap Room, and survived with local morals and ethics intact.