Flagstaff, AZ—I moved to the southwest several beers ago and I have since shifted my tastes toward more western-style IPAs. Brewifest Destiny? Now I have come to discover, via a recent NPR segment, that hops are the direct cause of man boobs. And here I though it was because of my addiction to Cheese Doodles and my strong repulsion to all forms of exercise.
The culprit for these ‘Moobs’, or brew ta tas, is something called phytoestrogen, an active plant estrogen found in hops. What makes western IPAs linked more strongly to the growth of breasts in men is the sheer quantity of hops used in this style of beer. What makes this phytoestrogen more linked to my personal manboobery is my tendency to order imperial IPAs, or “D-Mugs” as I like to call them. Hey, maybe Bruce Jenner could have saved some serious cash switching from Wheaties to Witbier. What, too soon?