Curry Smugglers is broadening its flavor-driven mission. After two years of transforming traditional Desi street snacks into striking, design-focused icons, founders Steve and Ruby Dass are now shifting their focus back to one of Steve’s original crafting passions: brewing beer.
The Margate-based innovative brand has launched DESI Lager, a basmati rice lager with an ABV of 4.2%, alongside Mango Mirchi, a zero-alcohol lager infused with Alphonso mango and habanero chili. This marks an exciting and notable shift between categories in the beverage industry.
A new phase in contemporary Desi drinking culture is emerging with Curry Smugglers’ commitment to challenging the norms of South Asian snacking. They are applying this same disruptive approach to the beer sector—one that Steve Dass has navigated deeply. Prior to co-founding Curry Smugglers, he was a key player in the UK’s early sober craft beer scene, collaborating with brands like Karma and Nirvana.
This venture into brewing stemmed from his dissatisfaction with the long-standing stereotype that Indian beer is exclusively designed to accompany curry dishes.
“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.”
As South Asian culture undergoes rapid evolution in terms of confidence, creativity, and culinary aspirations, Curry Smugglers posits that beer deserves to progress in tandem with it.
The flagship launch, DESI Lager, draws from India’s lesser-known brewing legacy. Long before the term IPA became synonymous with Indian beer, breweries throughout the subcontinent were crafting rice-based beers utilizing local ingredients.
Steve recognized a chance to reconnect with this historical narrative while developing a distinctly modern product.
“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.”
For those seeking non-alcoholic options, Curry Smugglers has introduced Mango Mirchi, a crisp, alcohol-free lager enhanced with ripe Alphonso mango and habanero chili.
The outcome offers a refreshing and fruity initial taste that transitions into a gentle, warming finish—crafted to stand out as a designed option for those who opt out of alcohol rather than serving as an afterthought.
Continuing its commitment to innovative design, Curry Smugglers’ eye-catching recyclable cans have already transformed perceptions around South Asian snacks in the UK. The beer line upholds this design ethos—vibrant, multi-dimensional, and unapologetically 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 the husband-and-wife duo Steve and Ruby Dass, Curry Smugglers is a Margate-based brand redefining South Asian snacking and drinking experiences for a contemporary audience. Their assortment of Indian snacks is packaged in bold, recyclable cans instead of conventional plastic bags, merging authentic tastes with modern aesthetics and a fresh Desi perspective.
