They’re calling it “Brewer’s Droop,” which…I’m not sure that’s going to stick.
A team of researchers from Columbia and Spain wrote about the condition in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.
“It does not seem to be just a temporary problem, because erectile ability was still affected after a year and, according to the results, did not seem likely to improve just with alcohol abstinence.”
Stephen Herrod Buhner, herbalist and author, warned in Vice that too much phytoestrogen in men can cause hormonal imbalances that could cause a condition called gynecomastia (enlarged breasts).
“From long-term exposure to the estrogenic properties of hops, they eventually have difficulty sustaining an erection.”
On the upside, hops also contain a substance called xanthohumol, which some believe has antiviral, anti-clotting, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor properties (according to Dr. Andrew Weil). Hops have been used since ancient times to promote sleep, too, and if you’re a woman (especially over a certain age), a little extra estrogen could be just what the doctor ordered.