Top 10 Breweries in India
India's craft beer scene faces a regulatory environment that few other countries match in complexity. Brewing and alcohol licensing in India is a state-level matter, so a brewery in Karnataka operates under different rules than one in Maharashtra, which operates differently from West Bengal. Microbrewery licences in many states allow beer to be sold only on the premises where it is brewed, which rules out bottling and distribution; other states impose excise duties high enough to make craft pricing uncompetitive. Against this backdrop, the breweries that have built genuine quality over the last decade or so represent a real achievement.
1. Gateway Brewing Co, Mumbai
Founded in 2011 by Navin Mittal (better known online as IndianBeerGeek) with Krishna Naik and Rahul Mehra, and selling beer commercially from 2014, Gateway was Mumbai's first microbrewery. Unusually for India, it began as a production brewery without its own bar, supplying kegs to bars across the city; it has since opened taprooms of its own, including one in Kala Ghoda. White Zen, Doppelgänger and its West Coast IPA are the beers to look for.
2. Simba, Chhattisgarh
Prabhtej Singh Bhatia set up Simba's brewery in Durg, Chhattisgarh, in 2015-16, and at launch it was one of the very few Indian craft brands made for sale across markets rather than in a single brewpub. Its two original beers, Simba Wit and Simba Stout, are still the core, and Simba has made a point of building its following in smaller towns and cities as well as the metros.
3. Toit Brewpub, Bangalore
Toit, opened in 2010, is Bangalore's most famous craft brewpub and by some measures the most commercially successful craft beer venue in India. The large, airy space on Indiranagar's 100 Feet Road pours house beers including Toit Weiss, the Belgian-style Tintin Toit and the Basmati Blonde, brewed with basmati rice and something of a local legend, alongside serious food. The queue outside on weekend evenings says the rest.
4. Geist Brewing, Bangalore
Geist was founded by schoolfriends Narayan Manepally, who home-brewed in his garage while working for Intel in Portland, Oregon, and Paul Chowdhry. Unlike most Bangalore operations it is a production brewery rather than a brewpub, selling cans and kegs in several states. The canned range, including Witty Wit, Uncle Dunkel, James Blond and Kamacitra, mixes German and Belgian styles with American-influenced hoppy beers, and Geist has featured in international craft beer media. Bangalore's large population of well-travelled tech workers gives it a market that appreciates the effort.
5. Doolally Taproom, Pune
Doolally was founded in Pune in 2009, with a German brewmaster, making it one of India's oldest craft breweries still operating. It runs several Pune taprooms and has expanded to Mumbai, serving a consistent range of house beers, including a hefeweizen, an American pale ale and a witbier, alongside rotating seasonals. Doolally's longevity in a difficult regulatory environment is a demonstration of both business acumen and genuine product quality.
6. Independence Brewing Company, Pune
Founded by Shailly Bist and Avanish Vellanki with US investors and operating from 2014, Independence Brewing Company opened its first brewpub in Wadgaon Sheri, Pune. Its most famous backer is Greg Koch, co-founder of Stone Brewing, who joined as a partner and chief advisor, and the American West Coast influence shows in its hop-forward beers. It has since revamped the Pune site and added more craft bars.
7. White Rhino, Madhya Pradesh
Ishaan Puri founded White Rhino in 2016 at Malanpur, on the outskirts of Gwalior, and it bills itself as the first craft beer brewed and bottled in India. It started with two beers, a lager and a Belgian-style wit, and has grown from there, giving drinkers in northern India a bottled craft option outside the brewpub circuit.
8. Effingut, Pune
Founded in Pune in 2014, Effingut has grown into one of India's larger craft groups, with Pune brewpubs in Koregaon Park, Baner and Kharadi and outlets in Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Kolkata, plus bistro and takeaway formats. The house beers are designed for the volume demands of a restaurant-brewery business, and the accessible pricing and consistent quality have made it a fixture of Pune's craft scene.
9. Arbor Brewing Company India, Bangalore
Arbor Brewing Company India grew out of a partnership with Arbor Brewing of Ann Arbor, Michigan: Gaurav Sikka, a University of Michigan graduate and regular at the original pub, brought the idea home to Bangalore, and the Michigan founders signed on as consultants. The brewpub on Magrath Road brews American craft styles for the Indian market. Check current opening hours before you go, as listings have been inconsistent.
10. Bira 91: a cautionary tale
No list of Indian craft beer can skip Bira 91, though it no longer belongs on a list of places to drink. Ankur Jain founded it in 2015, initially brewing in Belgium, and it grew into India's best-known craft-positioned brand, backed by Kirin, Sofina and Peak XV. Rapid expansion led to heavy losses (a reported net loss of Rs 748.8 crore in FY24), unpaid salaries, and a halt in production in July 2025; Jain later stepped down from the board. Whether or not the brand survives, it did more than anyone to make craft beer a category Indian consumers recognised, and its rise and fall is a lesson in what happens when craft scales too fast. (For more on that tension, see our guide to craft vs. macro breweries.)
The Regulatory Landscape
India's state-level licensing creates a patchwork that makes national distribution genuinely difficult. Karnataka (Bangalore) has been relatively permissive toward brewpub licensing; Maharashtra (Pune, Mumbai) has relaxed restrictions over time; Goa's tourism economy has made it accepting of varied beverage licensing. States with government liquor monopolies or high excise rates present barriers that effectively prevent craft beer development, and industry groups continue to lobby for simpler, more consistent rules.
Explore on the map
India's craft breweries cluster heavily in Bangalore, Pune, and Mumbai, with emerging scenes in Delhi NCR, Goa, and Hyderabad. India is not yet plotted on our map, so use this list as your starting point; if your travels take you further east, our Hong Kong guide covers another fast-moving Asian scene.