
Craft brewers-those small, independent artists of the trade-usually stay local, choosing to focus their energy on technique rather than marketing and distribution. The result, aside from exceptional flavor, is an opportunity for beer connoisseurs to visit the country's best small towns and partake in the freshest and finest beers around. The top brew towns are those that offer a dense gathering of exceptional craft breweries operating within a community that thrives on passion for taste and tradition.
Here are four of the best:

Asheville, N.C. With 20 craft breweries and counting-more per capita than any other U.S. city-Asheville is for beer connoisseurs what Napa Valley is for wine enthusiasts. With local breweries like Highland Brewing Co., Thirsty Monk and Wicked Weed Brewing, each offering its own unique atmosphere, flavor and character, it's no surprise Asheville was named "Beer City, USA" four years in a row. Asheville also plays host to a wide selection of beer celebrations throughout the year like Brewgrass Festival, Winter Warmer Beer Festival and Asheville Beer Week. But what sets Asheville apart is that all of this, including a rich culinary scene, more than 30 art galleries and an eclectic downtown district, is set in the heart of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains.

Bend, Ore. Whether you're making turns on the snowy slopes of Mt. Bachelor, hiking the Green Lakes Basin in the Three Sisters Wilderness, or ripping down raging rapids on the Deschutes River, nothing punctuates a great outdoor adventure like an ice-cold craft beer. And nowhere pairs beer with adventure better than Bend. Set out on the Bend Ale Trail to discover the town's 14 breweries and sample suds like Mirror Pond Pale Ale from Deschutes Brewery, WinterMint Black Ale from Riverbend Brewing Company, and Paddleboard Porter from Cascade Lakes Brewing Company. Then fill your growler with some local brew at the gas station, the car wash or the convenience store. But visit Bend with caution; the locals here have a saying: Whoever visits Bend, moves to Bend.

Burlington, Vt. The unique climate and long growing season of the Lake Champlain region in Vermont favor award-winning wine production, but the region also fosters a proud and dedicated artisan craft beer industry inspired by the humble desire to make great beer. The best Vermont breweries-like The Alchemist, who focus all of their attention on brewing only one beer-are small batch breweries, using original recipes. The state is covered in breweries, but Burlington is the hub with a dense population of brewers, including Infinity Brewing Company, who use only local ingredients, the popular but always modest Switchback Brewing Company and the state's oldest brewer, Vermont Pub and Brewery. Simply put, in Vermont they brew what they want, when they want, so passion and creativity are always revitalized.

Fort Collins, Colo. Craft beer may not have started in Colorado, but with nearly 230 established breweries-more than 10 percent of the nations craft breweries-Colorado is the heart of great beer. The Rocky Mountains boast the likes of Breckenridge Brewery, Aspen Brewing Company and Ska Brewing Company in Durango, but the Front Range is the place to be for a long list of savory suds, and it all begins in Fort Collins. The big kids on the block are New Belgium Brewing, the nation's third largest micro-brewery and makers of Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat, and Odell Brewing Company, the birthplace of 90 Schilling and Easy Street Wheat. But this college town is full of hidden gems and nano-breweries like Freedom's Edge, Black Bottle and Equinox Brewing in Old Town. When your glass is empty, just head south for Longmont, Boulder and Denver for more of Colorado's great craft breweries.