At the recent Royal Queensland Beer Awards, Carbon 6 Brewing impressed with a remarkable haul of 17 medals, including the prestigious Best New Brewery trophy. However, what’s surprising is that the brewery’s owner, Colin Richardson, admits he’s not much of a beer drinker.
“I’m not much of a beer drinker,” says Colin, a statement that often leaves people astonished when they learn that he owns a craft brewery. His background, after all, is in healthcare, IT, and science, rather than brewing. Yet, despite his lack of personal passion for beer, Colin has thrived in the brewing industry by applying his extensive experience in business management and data science. He views his brewery venture not as a drastic shift, but rather as an opportunity to apply the same principles he’s used to optimize systems in other industries for decades.
“I’m a systems guy,” he explains. “When I took over the business, I saw more than tanks and taps. I saw an opportunity to bring real structure and solid systems into a space that’s often more passion than process.”
For Colin, the first step in shaping the brewery’s future was improving quality control. “After I completed the build, my first job was getting serious about quality control—making sure every part of our operation runs safely, cleanly, and consistently. It’s all about trust, traceability, and getting it right every time, just like the systems we built for hospitals.”
A key part of this vision was bringing in Reece Richards as head brewer. Reece, who’s no stranger to systems, has a background as a navy aviation technician. Despite his deep love for beer, he initially struggled with homebrewing. “My first attempts were atrocious,” he admits, but his drive to improve, honed during his military career, led him to persist. “I didn’t want it to beat me. I began asking every brewer I came across how to make better beer.”
That perseverance paid off. Over time, Reece honed his brewing skills, eventually becoming the head brewer at Carbon 6. He credits his willingness to keep learning for both his own growth and the brewery’s success at the Queensland Beer Awards. “A trophy at a prestigious competition has always been my dream, so that was definitely a bucket list item ticked off,” Reece says.
Through their combined expertise, Colin and Reece have crafted a brewery that emphasizes precision, innovation, and quality—resulting in both award-winning beers and a growing reputation in the craft brewing community.
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