Is this the kind of thing that's illegal? Or is there some kind of network or community that frequently does trades via the interwebz? Most of what I read about good beer on here seems to be pretty localized ("If any of you ever pass by Jupiter I recommend trying intergalactic tesseract stout"). So I was wondering if there was some website that is dedicated to distributing specialized beers that any of you would recommend.
I'm not really sure about ordering online. Even if that's an option you have 2 issues:
1) Quality - what you ordered could have been sitting around for a bit or have been subjected to ever changing temperatures. But this is also a risk at any store I guess.
2) Supporting your local businesses - this is the big thing for me - find a local store, brewpub, or brewery and frequent them. You'll be contributing to your community and supporting a small business.
Looks like you think you don't have access to a lot of the beer recommended in the forums. Beer Distributors are kind of weird and arcane, so depending on where you live that my be true. Looks like you're in Virginia. Quick google search of "brewpub virginia" turns up a lot of results. Switch over to the map view, read some reviews, and head on out to one of the spots that comes up.
www.beeradvocate.com can be a little intimidating, but worth poking around and doing a search for local stuff there.
One of the great things about beer is that with over 3000 independent breweries in the States now you can usually find a local brewery or bar that serves up a great selection of craft beer. On top of that, when you support those local business you are usually supporting like-minded people and helping someone pursue something they love and are passionate about. Do some digging and find a great Virginia brewery/brewpub. And let us know about them!