Curry Smugglers is expanding its flavour‑first rebellion. After two years spent elevating authentic Desi street snacks into bold, design‑led icons, founders Steve and Ruby Dass are now turning their attention back to one of Steve’s earliest craft passions: beer.

The Margate‑based challenger brand has unveiled DESI Lager, a 4.2% ABV basmati rice lager, and Mango Mirchi, a zero‑alcohol Alphonso mango and habanero chilli lager, marking one of the most intriguing cross‑category pivots in recent memory.

A new chapter in modern Desi drinking culture

Curry Smugglers has built its reputation on ripping up the rulebook for South Asian snacking. Now, it’s applying the same attitude to beer — a category Steve Dass knows intimately. Before co‑founding Curry Smugglers, Steve was a prominent figure in the UK’s early alcohol‑free craft beer movement, working with brands such as Karma and Nirvana.

The move into beer, he says, was driven by frustration with the long‑standing “made for curries” trope that has dominated Indian beer in the UK.

“For decades, ‘goes well with curry’ seems to have been the entire lazy conversation around Indian beer. And, frankly, most beer goes well with curry.”

With South Asian culture evolving rapidly — in confidence, creativity and culinary ambition — Curry Smugglers believes beer should evolve with it.

Reclaiming India’s brewing heritage

The brand’s flagship launch, DESI Lager, draws inspiration from India’s lesser‑told brewing history. Long before IPA became shorthand for Indian beer, breweries across the subcontinent were producing rice‑based beers using local ingredients.

Dass saw an opportunity to reconnect with that heritage while creating something resolutely modern.

“Beer was being brewed in India before IPA became the headline, and rice forms part of that history. DESI Lager takes inspiration from that past but isn’t trying to recreate an old beer. It’s about asking what a modern Desi beer can be today.”

Mango Mirchi: a serious alcohol‑free beer with bite

For the sober crew, Curry Smugglers has launched Mango Mirchi, an alcohol‑free lager built on a clean, crisp base and layered with ripe Alphonso mango and habanero chilli.

The result is a refreshing, fruity opening that develops into a slow, warming finish — a beer designed as a standalone craft proposition rather than an afterthought for non‑drinkers.

A proud new look for modern Desi beer

Curry Smugglers’ bold recyclable cans have already challenged what South Asian snacks can look like in the UK. The beer range continues that design philosophy — colourful, layered and proudly modern.

“We don’t want to splash a few random elephants and palaces on a label, tell people it goes with curry and call that Desi. Modern South Asian culture is far more layered than that. That’s the world we want these beers to represent.”

Founded by husband‑and‑wife team Steve and Ruby Dass, Curry Smugglers is a Margate‑based challenger brand reimagining South Asian snacking and drinking culture for a new generation. Its range of Indian snacks is packed in bold recyclable cans rather than traditional plastic bags, combining authentic flavours with contemporary design and modern Desi attitude.