The table is alive. There’s a buzz. Not the loud, slurry kind, but one rooted in real connection. A forum for meaningful conversation, where bread is broken, food is shared, and stories flow just as easily as the drinks.
That’s why our partnership with Hoppers makes so much sense. It’s cemented in craftsmanship, connection, and community. Just as a South Asian table is meant to be shared, Small Beer is brewed with the same intention, created for evenings of conversation, not excess. A beer to accompany the night rather than end it.
Because food has always had this power, it brings people together. And there’s nothing quite like a family-style spread of Sri Lankan food to prove it. Crunchy peanuts, dusted with fiery spice. A delicate parcel of cod, steaming softly inside its banana-leaf wrap, sitting beside the sharper kick of lime achaar. Every dish is crafted for sharing, designed to spark dialogue as much as satisfy hunger.
Most recently, we came together to celebrate the launch of co-founder Karan Gokani’s cookbook, Indian 101. Over dinner, Karan spoke about how his travels had given him the chance to dive deep into the incredible diversity of Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine. Through Hoppers, and now through this book, he’s been able to share those discoveries with the world.
But Indian 101 marks a return to his roots. Originally from Mumbai, Karan set out to capture the flavours and techniques of the subcontinent in a way that makes them accessible to everyone. Not just to those adventurous enough to try Indian cooking for the first time, but also to those from Indian backgrounds who might only know their own region’s dishes. After all, a Punjabi who can make the perfect tandoori chicken might never have tasted the crisp crunch of a dosa, and someone who grew up on the coast of Kerala may never have rolled out a Gujarati thepla.
Karan’s goal? To make Indian food something you cook every week, not just on special occasions. To remove the intimidation factor of “a hundred spices and hours of prep,” and instead show that flavour can be both authentic and achievable.
Recipes on offer in Indian 101 range from unexpected spice explorations like Masala Beans to elevate your Full English Breakfast, to comforting stews that come together in less than an hour.
And in a brilliant twist, he didn’t stop at testing them himself: he handed recipes to friends and chefs from Hoppers to see how easily they could recreate them. Many of those dishes ended up in the book, photographed exactly as they came out of their kitchens.
When we asked Karan what Big Thinking means to him, his answer landed perfectly. He said he wanted every single household in the UK (and beyond) to treat this book as a staple, the go-to guide for Indian cooking. That’s not just about recipes. It’s about identity, belonging, and representation. It’s about breaking down stereotypes, that Indian food is always heavy, fiery, or labour-intensive, and opening the door to a whole spectrum of fresh, light, vegetarian, bold, subtle, and endlessly varied dishes.
Our Small Beer team got to experience this first-hand. We enjoyed a night of learning, eating, and experimenting. Hoppers’ Head of Bars and Operations, Ioan, even developed a set of daring beer cocktails, using our Hazy IPA as a base. A bold move, since beer isn’t usually seen as a mixology ingredient. With each sip telling it’s own story and delicately weaved with fruits from South India as well as carefully chosen spices, it’s hard to overlook how well the bespoke beer cocktails are the perfect drinking partner to the food straight from the kitchen:
Cocktails (pictured left to right): Lion’s Shandy - Hazy IPA, tequila, goraka, grapefruit soda Hazy Michelada - Hazy IPA, kokum liqueur, Kashmiri red chilli
This is what our partnership with Hoppers is all about. It’s more than food and drink. It’s about community, creativity, and connection. About building strong relationships with people who share our values. About doing things well, with intention. And ultimately, about reminding ourselves that the biggest joys often come from the smallest details: Laughter bouncing from one end to the other, sauces spilling ever so slightly over the rim of bowls, while a cool, fizzy beer slides down throats, balancing out the heat of spices.
So next time you’re in London, grab a table at Hoppers. Bring friends. Order generously. And don’t forget to pair it with a Small Beer. Because the best moments? They’re made to be shared.
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