I've amassed a very, very modest collection of beers that I'm keeping and not opening merely out of fear that it might be a beer to trade for something "better"; or that it might be something to hang onto longer and drink later instead of now. I'm going to have significantly more space in our new house to store/cellar beer and so I might dabble a bit in collecting beers.
How do you keep up on all the heavily-sought-after, rare, and popular beers? Furthermore how do you decide when to drink it? Or, how do you decide if you will drink it at all? How do you decide which to hang onto and drink later and what to trade? How do you decide which beer you want next for a trade/purchase?
I also ask because I'm at my in-laws in Iowa City and was visiting a store with a very decently-sized beer selection and saw stuff like Boulevard Bourbon Barrel 2015 and Against the Grain 35K and Kentucky Ryed Chiquen (among others) and I know I've hear of those (even had them at some point) but I don't know if they're hard-to-get/coveted in Chicago (or elsewhere) and if I should be picking them up here or not.