Upesh Gulati was born to brew. His passion for beer led him to establish Effingut Breweries Pvt. Ltd., where he is on a mission to take the concept of craft beer to higher levels in India.
An Engineer by education, Upesh, fondly called Manu Gulati or MG by everyone in the craft beer fraternity, is a fourth-generation glass businessman with years of corporate experience. He hails from a family who owned Atul Glass Industries Ltd. in Faridabad, and Maharashtra Glass and Agro Ltd. in Pune, which manufactured ‘ATULTUF’ glass for cars and ‘ATUL’ mirrors. After having a successful stint at the stock exchange, the family sold its holdings to Saint-Gobain, the French multinational that continues to make the same products at these units. Manu then forayed into real estate and oversaw several bespoke property projects, many of which are now landmarks.
Following his love to travel the world, his travels introduced him to craft beer in Europe, where he fell in love with the drink’s artisanal roots. Manu found how the art had witnessed a resurgence after being almost wiped out, and learnt about balancing age-old recipes with new-age experimentation. This led him to Brewlabs, UK, where he completed a residential certification in practical brewing, a skill he continues to apply at Effingut.
Manu seeks to bridge the gap between continental and local palettes while guiding Indians toward craft beers like it was meant to be Effingut caters to a broad spectrum of patrons whose preference ranges from crisp, refreshing “sessionable” beers like lagers, melomels, ciders and wheat beers to heavier more intense styles like the IPA, braggots and stouts. A decade down the line, his aim is to make Effingut India’s best craft beer brand.