I have access to all east coast goodies here in NY but am not sure which ones people from the west coast are really seeking out or any particularly good west coast beers that I should be trading for. Any insights?
Maybe you should explore your regional distro first to taste good beers around you, then make that decision. If you haven't tried what's around you, how will you know what particular shelf/limited/brewery only will trade for? NY gets awesome distro, and you're not missing out on a whole lot out that way. Of course, you can always use seekabrew.com to compare distribution if you want to go that route. Also, read the forums here. I read forums for months before I even made my first trade, to understand etiquette, "trade values", and even the wording of your ISO:FT post. There is a wealth of information on this site that can help you out. Bottom line, I would definitely explore what's around you before trading for brews that aren't.
