In other words, is it better to keg the beer, seal it and condition it or is it better to keg it, carb it, then take it off the gas if you want to condition it or don’t want to drink it right away-or even iof you can’t drink it right way bc you only have one oxygen tank and regulator.
You mean CO2 tank, not oxygen, right? Carbing with O2 would be a disaster! 
You can do it whatever way works for you. I usually keg three to four fermenters at a time and one keg will go on the gas and get cold while the rest will sit in the walk-in (@ 60-68F) until space opens up. But I sometimes just get tired of a beer and want something new, so the keg gets pulled and goes in the walk-in for a while with no ill effects.
Thanks, oops, yeah, co2…so it’s ok even to pull the gas off an 1/2 empty keg if you want to tap something new as long as it’s sealed and pressurized? I’m new to the keggin thing and just don;t want to go out and buy a bunch of unnecessary equip if I can pull this off with a couple of kegs, but only one regulator, etc.
I usually keg and let it condition (with some gelatin to clarify) for a few days then transfer to a new keg then carb. I tend to take my kegs places and don’t want to filter. After a bumpy car ride helps to keep the yeast to minimum so all have to do cool it down and drink. Don’t have to wait for yeast to settle out again.
Several time when I have been in a rush I have carb’ed and conditioned at the same time. Works great too.
Either way is fine. I usually keep up to 10 kegs filled and conditioning while the other kegs are on tap. The next four kegs to go on tap sit in a chest freezer on gas waiting for their turn.
[quote=“Shadetree”]You mean CO2 tank, not oxygen, right? Carbing with O2 would be a disaster!
[/quote]
some of us like the taste of wet cardboard. ever since I was a kid, I wanted a beverage that tasted like a damp box.
You bet! No problem at all doing that.
One word of caution: if you choose not to carb when you keg, you still want to purge the keg of oxygen (pressurize, then pull the pressure relief a couple times) and keep under a bit of pressure just to get the lid properly seated and sealed and keep it from oxidizing as it conditions.
Also, if you have only one regulator you can split it with one of these:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/wye- ... 4-fpt.htmland buy an additional valve for the second output, then carb and/or serve 2 at once. Not terribly expensive, and gives you some more options.
:cheers:
