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, meaning a brewery in Karnataka operates under different rules than one in Maharashtra, which operates differently from West Bengal. Some states require breweries to produce only for on-premise consumption (preventing bottling and distribution); others restrict the presence of women in licensed venues; still others impose such high excise duties that craft pricing becomes uncompetitive. Against this backdrop, the breweries that have built genuine quality in the last decade represent a significant achievement.
1. Bira 91, Delhi and Multiple Locations
Bira 91 is India's most successful craft-positioned beer brand at a national scale — available across most major Indian cities in bottles and cans, and exported to the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Founded by Ankur Jain in 2015 after sourcing initial production from Belgium, Bira 91 moved to Indian production facilities and expanded rapidly. The Bira 91 White (a witbier) and Bira 91 Blonde are the flagships. Whether Bira 91 is "craft" in the artisanal sense is debated — the production volumes are large by any small-brewery definition — but its role in normalizing craft beer as a category for Indian consumers is undeniable.
2. Simba, Chhattisgarh
Simba is a Chhattisgarh-based craft brand that has achieved national distribution through a combination of technical quality and effective marketing. The Simba Stout (a milk stout) and Simba Wit (witbier) have been particularly well received and have given Simba a more distinctive product range than most Indian craft entrants.
3. Toit Brewpub, Bangalore
Toit is Bangalore's most famous craft brewpub and by some measures the most commercially successful individual craft beer venue in India. The large, airy venue in Indiranagar serves house-brewed beers including Toit Weiss, Toit Lager, and rotating seasonal releases from a kitchen that also produces serious food. The queue outside on weekend evenings is a reliable indicator of its cultural status.
4. Geist Brewing, Bangalore
Geist (formerly Geist and now rebranded through several iterations) is one of Bangalore's most respected brewpub operations. The range draws on German brewing traditions — Weizen, Pils, and Dunkel alongside American-influenced IPAs — with technical quality that has earned Geist mention in international craft beer media. Bangalore's IT professional population, many of whom have traveled internationally and encountered craft beer globally, provides a market sophisticated enough to appreciate technical quality.
5. Doolally Taproom, Pune
Doolally was founded in Pune in 2009, making it one of India's oldest operating craft beer venues. The company operates multiple Pune locations and has expanded to Mumbai, serving a consistent range of house-brewed beers including a Hefeweizen, American Pale Ale, and Witbier alongside rotating seasonals. Doolally's longevity in a difficult regulatory environment is a demonstration of both business acumen and genuine product quality.
6. Arbor Brewing Company India, Bangalore
Arbor, a licensed operation of the Ann Arbor, Michigan original, opened in Bangalore and has maintained high technical standards in brewing American craft styles for the Indian market. The connection to the Michigan original means access to established recipes and quality protocols that have produced consistently reliable beers.
7. Kati Patang, Multiple Locations
Kati Patang (Hindi for "a kite that has lost its string," suggesting freedom) operates across multiple Indian cities and has developed a range of accessible craft beers positioned for everyday drinking rather than enthusiast consumption. The brand's wide presence in restaurants and bars has made it one of the more commonly encountered Indian craft products in the mid-market hospitality sector.
8. Witlinger, Goa and Multiple Locations
Witlinger is a Goa-based craft operation that has built its brand on Belgian-influenced styles well-suited to Goa's warm climate and tourist-heavy hospitality industry. The Witlinger Witbier has been the flagship — a style choice that works well for Goa's beach culture and international tourist audience. Distribution beyond Goa has extended the brand nationally.
9. Effingut Brewerkz, Pune and Multiple
Effingut operates several brewpub locations in Pune and beyond, with a range of house-brewed beers designed for the volume demands of a restaurant-brewery operation. The accessible pricing and consistent quality have made Effingut a reliable fixture of Pune's growing craft beer scene.
10. Vault Brewing, Pune
Vault, based in Pune, has developed a reputation for technically ambitious small-batch releases — barrel-aged beers, sour ales, and experimental styles — that push beyond the accessible-mainstream focus of most Indian craft breweries. The small production volume and specialist approach have built a devoted following among Pune's most engaged craft beer consumers.
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. The Brewers Association of India has worked since 2015 to standardize and simplify licensing, with partial success.
Explore on the map
India's craft breweries cluster heavily in Bangalore, Pune, and Mumbai, with emerging scenes in Delhi, Goa, and Hyderabad. Open the map to find the breweries in whichever Indian city you are visiting and explore the growing craft geography of the subcontinent.