Curry Smugglers is expanding beyond its premium Desi street-snack range with the launch of two beers inspired by South Asian flavour, culture and brewing heritage.
After two years spent putting authentic Desi snacking on a more enticing, premium pedestal, founder Steve Dass is returning to another of his foodie fortes: craft beer.
The South Asian-inspired challenger brand has unveiled DESI Lager, a clean, crisp and light-bodied 4.2% ABV Basmati Rice Lager, alongside Mango Mirchi, an alcohol-free lager combining Alphonso mangoes with habanero chillies.
Well known for challenging conventions in the South Asian snack aisle, Curry Smugglers is now turning its attention to a beer category it believes is in need of fresh thinking.
The move comes amid frustration with the long-standing “made for curries” narrative used by many mainstream beers. While beer and curry may be a familiar pairing, Curry Smugglers believes the conversation around Indian and South Asian-inspired beer should go much further.
A lesser-told brewing history
Behind the brand’s colourful cans is a story rooted in India’s brewing past.
Long before India Pale Ale became the best-known reference point for beer in India, beer was being brewed across the country using locally sourced ingredients, including rice. It is this lesser-told history that inspired Dass to create DESI Lager.
Dass previously worked with an organic Belgian brewery before becoming a prominent voice in the early UK alcohol-free craft beer movement. He saw an opportunity to combine his brewing background with the food brand he and his wife, Ruby, have built through Curry Smugglers.
“For decades, ‘goes well with curry’ seems to have been the entire lazy conversation around Indian beer,” said Dass. “And, frankly, most beer goes well with curry.
“There’s a much richer story to tell. 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.”
DESI Lager has been created as a light-bodied, refreshing beer with Basmati rice at its core, aiming to offer a contemporary expression of Desi beer rather than rely on familiar category clichés.
Alongside the 4.2% ABV lager, Curry Smugglers has introduced Mango Mirchi for consumers choosing not to drink alcohol.
Built on a clean lager base, the alcohol-free beer combines ripe Alphonso mango with habanero chilli. It begins with a fruity, refreshing profile before developing a gentle, slow-building warmth.
Rather than positioning it as an alternative for people missing out, the brand says Mango Mirchi has been developed as a beer in its own right.
The launch also reflects growing interest in more flavour-led alcohol-free drinks, with Curry Smugglers seeking to bring the same personality and boldness found in its snack range to the no-and-low category.
A modern Desi identity
The new beers mark a natural progression for Curry Smugglers, which has built its reputation on reframing how South Asian snacks look, taste and are presented in the UK.
The brand is keen to avoid stereotypical visual shorthand and instead create products that reflect the breadth, confidence and modernity of contemporary South Asian culture.
“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,” Dass added. “Modern South Asian culture is far more layered than that. That’s the world we want these beers to represent.”
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With DESI Lager and Mango Mirchi, Curry Smugglers is bringing its challenger-brand approach to beer – blending brewing heritage, modern flavour and a more considered representation of Desi culture.
