If there was a gold medal for curry at London Summer Olympics, there is a good chance a British based chef or restaurant would win it.
Given Great Britain's curry obsession, I was not surprised to discover Curry Evo, a British site that is all about curry.
Number 4 in their Curry Myth Busters is on cold beer and spice interaction:
4. Lager beats the heat of hot curries.
Far from it – all lager does is swill the chilli spices around your mouth, which doesn’t help at all. Cold water is likely to have the same effect. If you find you’ve bitten off more than you can chew in the chilli department and need to cool down, your best bet is to have a yoghurt-based side dish on hand, such as a delicious mint raita. Another option is mango chutney. And if you’re feeling really adventurous, serve your spice-sensitive guests a cooling yoghurt and milk-based drink, such as mango lassi.
In between testing recipes from Curry Evo, read the sometimes cerebral Curried Cultures, Globalization, Food, and South Asia (University of California Press, 2012) edited by Krishnendu Ray and Tulasi Srinivas.