Brothers Van and Sumit Sharma grew up in Portland and in the Indian restaurant business. In 2020 after returning to Maine from England and Australia, they helped out at Bombay Mahal, their parents’ restaurant in Brunswick. It was while working there they brewed up an idea for an Indian beer brand to complement the curry dishes they grew up with – and joined forces with craft-beer guru Alan Pugsley to launch Rupee Beer in October 2021.