We know Portland, OR, likes to do things its own way. After all, the city has vowed to keep things weird and was once labeled "Little Beirut " by George H.W. Bush. The latest departure from mainstream society? Voters may reject a ballot measure that would add fluoride to the municipal water supply, an additive that 72 percent of Americans encounter when they turn on their taps. Everyone has an opinion on the subject .

Why would some Portlanders prefer to remain in the 28 percent? Because water is the primary ingredient in beer and coffee--for which Portland is justly renowned--and both brewers and baristas are concerned that fluoridation could irrevocably alter their products.

"I'm very sensitive to flavors," says

Wille Yli-Luoma, owner of Heart Roasters , a roastery and cafe in Southeast Portland. "I can't say if it's going to make a difference, but who knows?"

Alex Ganum does, at least when it comes to beer. In a letter to the Oregonian , the owner and head brewer at Upright Brewing stated, "I can tell you that at standard levels (up to 0.7 ppm), fluoride in water is tasteless, odorless and doesn't affect the brewing process in any way. It is harmless to yeast and doesn't change the taste of beer one bit."

Ganum's letter provoked a response he didn't expect: "I'm sitting here on a Friday, and a gazillion anti-fluoride people are bombarding the brewery's Facebook page," Ganum says. "It forced me to make a statement there."

He wrote: "Regarding water fluoridation in Portland, as owner and head brewer at Upright I have firmly supported the plan and will continue to do so. While we're all certainly entitled to an opinion, I ask that any comments regarding the matter please be kept away from the brewery facebook page or other social media outlets. Anyone who wishes to discuss fluoridation is welcome to email me at uprightbrewing@gmail.com." He also deleted all the rants.

Ganum doesn't always express that kind of restraint. "Most of the world drinks fluoridated water without any associated health problems whatsoever, so if you think it's harmful you're out of your mind," he says. "It's a social issue. A lot of kids in the Portland area can't afford to go to the dentist regularly, and maybe their diets are sugar heavy on top of that, so their teeth are in poor health. Putting fluoride in the water would really help them out. It's a no-brainer."

Indeed, brewers in other parts of the country produce beer using fluoridated water without ill effect.

Chris Haas, brewmaster at Desert Edge Brewery in Salt Lake City, says he was concerned when the county added fluoride to the water supply in 2003.

"So we did a big taste panel, because we were curious," Haas says. "We couldn't detect any difference in beer brewed with or without fluoridated water."

Part of the sensitivity to tinkering with Portland's water supply comes from the fact that the water is already near perfect. It's sourced from the Bull Run watershed , a pristine forested area in the Mount Hood National Forest. "Pour a glass of tap water here and stick your nose in it," Ganum says. "You won't smell anything, while other water supplies have a sulfury smell or slimy feel."

"It's kind of a brewer's dream, but fluoride won't affect that," he says. "It has no flavor."

Even Heart's Yli-Luoma sees both sides of the issue. "I can't be completely irrational and say, 'This is stupid and we can't do this,' when it's proven it gives people healthier teeth," he says. "But I wish there was another way."

In fact, he's already working on his own other way: He's planning to upgrade his already advanced water filtration system--which removes rust, dirt and chlorine from the roastery's water--to a new Flexeon AT-500 reverse osmosis one that will also filter out every single particle of fluoride.

Come May 21, when the ballot measure goes to voters, he may be putting that system to work.

Lucy Burningham is a Portland, OR-based writer who covers food, drink, and travel. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Saveur, and she is the co-author of Hop in the Saddle: A Guide to Portland's Craft Beer Scene by Bike.

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