Masturbitter: the beer that wants to get men taking about s*x

The idea that men don’t talk is somewhat overplayed – things are getting better, at least in terms of mental health. It’s not perfect, and it’s not easy, but there are many men’s organisations and figureheads that point to things improving.

However, one area we’ll concede is slightly more tricky for good, honest chat, is our sex lives. Oh sure, we can joke about them, complain about them, make up loads of stuff about them, but deep honest chat between friends? Christ, we hardly talk to our partners about it (like, you have to be careful: best not to talk about it because you might scare it away).

In the spirit of opening up about all things in the name of sharing emotions and anxieties, as well as just getting to grips with what makes us happy in life, and where we have been constrained by social and cultural mores…in the spirit of that, we therefore welcome the launch of Masurbitter, an ale created by LELO and the Great Beyond Brewing Company, which aims to get men talking about sex and relationships.

And there are stats to back this up. LELO, a sexual wellness brand, have done some research which revealed revealed almost half of men (48%) have had zero conversations about personal matters such as sexual pleasure and masturbation in the last year. Meanwhile, 43% of men don’t feel comfortable opening up to their male friends about intimate topics at all.

The survey asked men where they would feel most comfortable discussing intimate matters, the majority of male Brits (22%) said ‘over a pint’ rather than at home (17%), on WhatsApp (8%) or at the gym.

So there you go. “The Masturbitter has been brewed to encourage these conversations in a safe and familiar space”. The idea that pubs might be something of a safe space for men is a complicated subject for another time; ‘fighting space’ might also apply. For opening up though, well, a few shared beers is undoubtedly useful and one must have a sense of humour about such things. You can imagine the beer starting a few funny chats that veer deep.

The research also found 46% of British men have used a sex toy but 59% would not admit to using one to their male friends.

It’s unclear whether that’s using a sex toy on their own or with a partner, but certainly masturbation toys are increasingly popular for men, not least Lelo’s new one – the F13 V1, pictured below, which is now so souped-up that it uses AI tech to improve your pleasure as it learns more about what you like –  even if it is in secret.