People living with dementia involved in the creation of ‘Hundred Not Out’ beer 

More than 150 residents living in the St Monica Trust’s retirement villages and care homes – including people living with dementia – have been involved in the process of creating a new beer named ‘Hundred Not Out’. 

The beer is the result of sessions run by Hoppiness Brews, a Bristol-based Community Interest Company which aims to provide ways to enrich the lives of older people and people living with dementia by encouraging creativity, outdoor activity and healthy ageing. 

St Monica Trust’s residents helped to plant, nurture and harvest the hops that have gone into Hundred Not Out, named to commemorate St Monica Trust’s centenary. Bristol-based brewery, Wiper and True, then converted the hops into beer. The beer is now on sale, with all funds raised going towards dementia-friendly gardening and bringing joy and ‘hoppiness’ to other care homes. 

St Monica Trust Resident, Caroline Drewell says: 

“For me it was the joy of looking across the table and seeing residents from our villages and care homes busily picking hops together. It didn’t matter how many you picked or how fast, everyone was contributing and helping each other, with plenty of laughter and chatting.” 

Hoppiness Brews co-founder, Guy Manchester says: 

“Thanks to support from Alive Activities, the St Monica Trust and Wiper and True, we’ve been able to involve local care home and retirement village residents, their families and care teams in the full brewing journey – from nurturing hops in gardens to deciding on the name of the finished beer. 

Along the way, we’ve delivered therapeutic multi-sensory activity sessions for residents with a diagnosis of dementia which, as well as fostering socialisation and a sense of identity, have also triggered happy memories of earlier get-togethers, including in a place most of us visit at some time in our lives – the pub.” 

Find out more by visiting the Hoppiness Brews website: https://hoppinessbrews.com and Alive Activities website: https://aliveactivities.org/the-hoppiness-project/. 

Watch an ITV news item about Hundred Not Out: 

A Practitioner Pack has been created to help others replicate this project: https://bpb-eu-w2.wpmucdn.com/blogs.bristol.ac.uk/dist/2/1150/files/2024/10/HOPPINESS-PRACTITIONER-PACK_PRINTABLE.pdf 

You can buy the beer (when in stock!) here: https://wiperandtrue.com/products/hundred-not-out-1?variant=55920107389314