Rupee Beer Brings India-Inspired Beer Culture to Idaho

PORTLAND, Maine — Rupee Beer, the award-winning Indian-inspired beer brand created specifically with global cuisine in mind, is bringing its distinctive approach to beer and food pairing to Idaho through a new state launch.

The Idaho launch marks another step in Rupee Beer’s expansion across the United States, bringing the Portland, Maine-based brand to 25 states nationwide and introducing Idaho consumers to a beer portfolio built around Indian cuisine, spice, and bold global flavors.

Through its partnership with Idaho Wine Merchants, Rupee Beer will be available to restaurants, retailers, and consumers throughout the state, creating new opportunities to experience the brand’s signature Basmati Rice Lager & India Pale Ale alongside Indian food and other flavor-forward cuisines.

A Different Kind of Beer-and-Food Pairing

Rupee Beer was created around a simple idea: beer should complement food, not compete with it.

While wine has long been associated with food pairing, Rupee is helping introduce a different pairing tradition to American consumers, one inspired by the longstanding curry-and-pint culture of the United Kingdom, where beer and Indian cuisine have shared a natural connection for generations.

Beer Built for Spice & Global Flavors

At the heart of the Rupee portfolio is its Basmati Rice Lager, a crisp, aromatic lager brewed with basmati rice and designed to refresh the palate while allowing complex food flavors to shine.

The broader portfolio includes:

• Basmati Rice Lager — Rupee’s flagship beer and the foundation of the brand, created specifically for pairing with Indian and global cuisine.

• India Pale Ale — An IPA inspired by the historic relationship between India and British brewing culture.

• Mango Wheat Ale — A seasonal offering designed to complement tropical fruit, heat, and spicy dishes.

• Non-Alcoholic Beer — A non-alcoholic option that brings the Rupee food-pairing philosophy to consumers who choose not to drink.

• Darjeeling Hard Tea — An extension of the brand into ready-to-drink beverages, inspired by India’s deep connection to chai and tea culture.

Rupee Beer was developed by internationally recognized master brewer Alan Pugsley, a British-born brewing pioneer whose career spans more than four decades and more than 100 beer brands around the world.

From an Indian Restaurant Family to a National Beer Brand

Rupee Beer was founded by brothers Van and Sumit Sharma, whose family has more than 50 years of experience in the restaurant industry.

Raised around Indian food and hospitality, the brothers spent years living in London and Australia before returning to their hometown of Portland, Maine, during the pandemic.

Their experience in restaurants exposed them to an opportunity in the American market. As Indian cuisine continued to grow in popularity, the beer selection available alongside it often remained limited to traditional imported lagers — beers that were not necessarily created with the intensity, spice, and complexity of Indian food in mind.

Rupee was developed to change that.

The result is a beer brand built from the perspective of people who understand both sides of the table: the food and the beverage.

Since its launch in 2020, Rupee Beer has evolved from a regional concept into a nationally distributed brand with a growing presence across the United States. The Idaho launch represents another milestone in that expansion and strengthens Rupee’s reach into new culinary and beverage markets.

For Rupee, the goal is bigger than simply adding another state to its distribution map. It is about changing the way American consumers think about beer and world food — and demonstrating that the right beer can open up an entirely new dimension of flavor when paired with Indian and global cuisine.