Curry Smugglers, the South Asian-inspired snack brand, has launched two beers with the addition of a Basmati Rice Lager and an alcohol-free Mango Mirchi Lager.

The company, which was founded by original Nirvana Brewery co-founder Steve Dass, is aiming to change “the entire lazy conversation around Indian beer” with the new releases.

The South Asian-inspired challenger brand is launching a clean, crisp and light-bodied 4.2% ABV Basmati Rice Lager inspired by India’s proud brewing heritage and an alcohol-free Mango Mirchi Lager that combines Alphonso mangoes with habanero chillis.

Long before India Pale Ale became synonymous with the history of beer in India, Dass said beer was already being brewed across the country using locally sourced ingredients, including rice. 

Dass, who previously worked with an organic Belgian brewery before becoming a leading voice within the early UK alcohol-free craft beer movement, saw an untapped opportunity to bring his brewing roots together with what he and his wife Ruby have been building at Curry Smugglers.

He said: “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.”

“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.”

Alongside Desi Lager comes Mango Mirchi, Curry Smugglers’ alcohol-free lager. Built on a clean lager base, Mango Mirchi combines ripe Alphonso mango with habanero chilli, creating a beer that begins fruity and refreshing before developing a gentle, slow-building warmth.

He added: “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.”