Skip to My Loo With the PubScout

The PubScout discovers that the type of beer you consume (and the hops it’s made with) will affect the number of bathroom trips you’ll make post-drinking.

It’s no secret that beer has a direct effect on the bladder. And the more copious amounts of the nectar of the gods we ingest, the more likely our trips to the loo will become. There’s a reason, after all, that there are lots of Porta-Johnnies at beer festivals (though there never seems to be an open one when I have to go).

But did you know that the type of beer — and the variety of hops used therein — can play just as big a role as the amount we consume?

In the many years I’ve been sacrificing my body to report on good beer, I’ve also noticed a trend. It’s true that as we geezers age, it seems we’re more prone to nocturnal visits to the loo than we were when we had youth on our side.

But that’s not the trend I’ve noticed. I’ve been aware that on the days where I consume hoppy beers — like hazy IPAs or even West Coast IPAs — my nightly visits double.

But, curiously, not so with ALL IPAs. It’s only the ones where Citra and Strata hops are found in abundance. The other varieties (too many to list here) don’t give me that urge as much.

And, oddly, beers made with Noble hops give me no reaction at all — beyond the required one or two that Father Time has bequeathed to me.

So I decided to do some research, beyond asking my fellow geezers (usually when we’re all “in our cups”) if they noticed what I did.

My investigation, assisted by my lab partner ChatGPT, yielded some interesting facts.

1. Certain hops contain higher levels of humulone and lupulone.
These alpha- and beta-acids (which become bittering compounds during boiling) can have a mild diuretic effect. Some hop varieties — like Centennial, Chinook, Columbus (CTZ), Simcoe and high-alpha varieties — tend to produce more of these compounds.
More bitterness → more iso-alpha acids → more diuresis.
Of course, alcohol itself is a diuretic, so the hops augment the effect.

2. Terpenes and essential oils also play a role
Hops rich in myrcene, humulene and caryophyllene can increase blood flow to the kidneys and have a mild vasodilating effect.
Varieties most associated with this include: Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo, Cascade, Galaxy
Hoppy, aromatic beers — especially hazy IPAs — often use these in huge whirlpool or dry-hop volumes, which increases the load of oils and polyphenols. Uh-oh. What about those “resiny” hops?

3. “Hoppy beers make you thirsty” → you drink more → you pee more
Astringent or resin-heavy hop varieties (e.g., Chinook, Columbus, Nugget, Strata) dry the palate.
So you drink faster or drink more — your bladder responds in kind.

I also learned that “Brewers report that session IPAs with massive dry hopping often cause more urination than a less-hoppy strong ale.”

That would explain why enjoying a 10.2% Quadrupel called The Sixth Glass yesterday helped me pull an “all-nighter,” while a wonderfully delicious hazy IPA from Wise Man Brewing called Little Troublemaker (made with Citra and Strata) caused me, well, “trouble” the day before.

What are the other “troublemakers?”

Drinkers most frequently report increased urination with these hops:
• CTZ
• Chinook
• Centennial
• Simcoe
• Citra
• Mosaic
• Galaxy
• Nelson Sauvin
• Strata

This is because they all have either very high alpha acids or very high essential oil loads — sometimes both.
And what about the “good guys?”

In general: noble hops or mild English varieties:
• Hallertau Mittelfrüh
• Tettnanger
• Spalt
• Saaz
• East Kent Goldings
• Fuggle

These tend to produce less diuretic effect because they’re lower in alpha acids and used in lower quantities.
Conclusion?

Enjoy whichever beer style you prefer whenever you prefer it. I know I do.

If you’re a fan of porters, stouts, quads, pale ales and the like, you’re likely not to Skip to the Loo as often.

And if you’re partial to those big hazy, juicy, dank, double dry hopped beers that use the hops listed in the “troublemaker” section, don’t be surprised if you Skip to the Loo a bit more often.

Which really should be “Hopping to the Loo.”