After a couple of weeks, the Six-Pack is back, and there's plenty to get into, including the recently-completed Great American Beer Festival.

GABF handed out 286 medals to 254 different breweries at this weekend's festival. As a South Carolinian, I'd like to congratulate Revelry Brewing Company and Swamp Rabbit Brewery and Taproom for earning Silver Medals in the Scotch Ale and Bock categories, respectively. You can see the entire list of winners, including Champion Breweries and Pro-Am winners, right here.

Vinepair likes their lists, and in the last few weeks have given their thoughts on the best Fall beers and their favorite beers for tailgating. Some surprises on the latter list--I never expected it to be so Pale Ale/IPA-heavy.

In a follow-up to the last Six-Pack, Cape May Brewing Company was named Start-up/Young Manufacturer of the Year by the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program. Congrats, guys!

In what seems to be good news for craft beer drinkers, but really isn't, researchers from Friedrich Schller University Jena in Germany determined that IPAs are less harmful to the liver than other forms of alcohol, per a study performed on rats. Now, the key words are "LESS HARMFUL", as in, "still harmful" to the liver.

In what seemed to be the day's big beer news, Japan's Kirin Brewery purchased a roughly 24.5% stake in Brooklyn Brewery. The transaction, which was valued at "several billion yen" (placing it in the $40-80 million range, roughly) also includes a new joint venture which will be 40% owned by Brooklyn, as well as product development for the Japan market, restaurant development, and an expansion of Brooklyn products into Brazil. It is worth noting that by limiting Kirin's stake to under 25%, Brooklyn can maintain its independent craft brewery designation with the Brewers Association.

Finally, I seem to frequently drop in a story of local/South Carolina interest, and this Six-Pack is no different. The City of Columbia's Board of Zoning Appeals approved a microbrewery that will takeover an abandoned warehouse in the Innovista district in the western part of Columbia. The Columbia Craft Brewing Company has investors and a professional brewer ready to begin operations, as soon as the warehouse is renovated and prepped for operations.