How's this for screwing up one's preconceptions about Utah: Beermakers from Salt Lake City took some big awards at the Great American Beer Festival this weekend in Denver.

The winner for best mid-sized brewery and brewer of the year went to the Utah Brewers Cooperative — the company that makes beer under the Wasatch and Squatters labels.

UBC also won two gold medals — for Squatters Wit Bier (in the session beer category) and for Wasatch's Summerbrau (for best Dortmunder or German-style Oktoberfest beer) — and a bronze, for Squatter's Hells Keep (in the Belgian-style strong specialty ale category).

Uinta Brewing won a bronze in the session-beer category, for its King's Peak Porter.

Redrock Brewing Co. took two medals: A gold for its Black Bier (in the German-style Schwarzbier category), and a silver for its Nut Brown Ale (in the American-style brown ale category).

And newcomer Epic Brewing Co. got a bronze in the oatmeal stout category, for its 825 State Stout.