Three Bend breweries won awards at the Great American Beer Festival over the weekend in Denver.

10 Barrel Brewing Co. earned three awards, one of only four breweries at the competition to do so, said Jimmy Seifrit, head of brewing operations at 10 Barrel. The brewery earned bronze in the American-style wheat beer category for its Amber Waves, bronze for its American-style stout, Power to the People; and gold for its field beer, Cucumber Crush.

“Our ownership staff really put us in a position to sow some seeds here; they gave us the tools to work with and empowered us to make the best beer possible with no limit on costs,” Seifrit said today.

Bend Brewing Co. won gold for its Salmonberry Sour, and Deschutes Brewing Co. took bronze for its Sage Fight IPA in the same category, indigenous or regional beer.

Seventeen Oregon breweries took home medals out of a total 32 that entered brews at the beer festival. More than 1,300 breweries nationwide submitted approximately 5,700 entries in the competition, according to the festival. During the four-day event at the Colorado Convention Center, more than 700 breweries provided samples of about 3,500 beers from all over the country.

“This competition is probably the be-all, end-all of all competitions,” Seifrit said. “It’s the world series of brewing.”