One step in the process of how to make beer is bottling the beer after it completes fermentation. One piece of equipment that can make this task easier is a bottling wand. You do not absolutely need a bottling wand, but you may find that it is a worthwhile purchase to simplify the how to make beer process.
A bottling wand offers many advantages. If you bottle without a wand, then you will need to do so using a siphon. This can be a little tricky, especially the first few times you do this. It can also prove to be a bit of a hassle even after you have it down. As an alternative, you could pour the beer into a funnel into the bottles. But this can be really troublesome trying to lift 5 gallons of beer to pour into a funnel. Not to mention, it is a good way to aerate the beer, which is something you want to avoid doing.
To make this task easier and more efficient, it is a good idea to have a bottling bucket with a spigot. If you do not have a spigot on your bottling bucket, you can always add one to it. This is just another possible DIY project that exists when learning how to make beer. It isn't too difficult a project either.
Once you have a spigot, you can connect your bottling wand to some vinyl tubing to connect to the spigot directly. You only need a few inches of tubing. Then, you can place the bucket at the edge of a counter or table with the wand pointing down. Simply place your bottles up into the bottling wand. Pushing the bottom of the bottle into the wand will release a flow of beer. When you have filled your bottle, release the bottle from the wand, and the flow of beer will stop. This makes pouring much easier, because you can control the flow of the pour (as opposed to having to pinch the siphon to stop the flow).
But the big advantage bottling wands offer is that they fill your beer bottle from the bottom up. For one, this eliminates the guesswork as to the amount of headspace you need to leave for carbonation. The wand itself will displace space in the bottle. Once the bottle is full of beer, stop the flow. Once you remove the wand, the perfect amount of headspace will be left.
Also, this method keeps you from splashing the beer into the bottles, which agitates the beer and allows oxygen to get into it. You want to avoid this at all costs. Remember, the air has germs, bacteria and other microorganisms that want to get into your beer and contaminate it. So you want to avoid splashing the beer and aerating it.
Here is a bottling tip that will simplify the process, and keep things clean as well. If you have limited space, this is perfect. For bottling beer, you need to have the bottles sanitized prior to using. Simply place the bottles top down in your dishwasher a couple hours before you bottle. Run them through a wash cycle, but do not use any soap or drying agents, just hot water. This will actually sterilize the bottles, even better than sanitizing them!
Then, after they have dried, place your bottling bucket on the counter just above the dishwasher. Connect your vinyl tubing to the spigot, and also connect your bottling wand. Then, open the dishwasher door all the way and bottle on the door (or above it). This way, if you have any spills, they wind up on the dishwasher door and not all over your floor. Plus, your bottles are close by and ready to go.
A bottling wand is not essential in the process of how to make beer. However, it is an upgrade to seriously consider adding to your first equipment kit, or purchasing early into learning how to make beer. It makes the process of bottling much easier.
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A bottling wand offers many advantages. If you bottle without a wand, then you will need to do so using a siphon. This can be a little tricky, especially the first few times you do this. It can also prove to be a bit of a hassle even after you have it down. As an alternative, you could pour the beer into a funnel into the bottles. But this can be really troublesome trying to lift 5 gallons of beer to pour into a funnel. Not to mention, it is a good way to aerate the beer, which is something you want to avoid doing.
To make this task easier and more efficient, it is a good idea to have a bottling bucket with a spigot. If you do not have a spigot on your bottling bucket, you can always add one to it. This is just another possible DIY project that exists when learning how to make beer. It isn't too difficult a project either.
Once you have a spigot, you can connect your bottling wand to some vinyl tubing to connect to the spigot directly. You only need a few inches of tubing. Then, you can place the bucket at the edge of a counter or table with the wand pointing down. Simply place your bottles up into the bottling wand. Pushing the bottom of the bottle into the wand will release a flow of beer. When you have filled your bottle, release the bottle from the wand, and the flow of beer will stop. This makes pouring much easier, because you can control the flow of the pour (as opposed to having to pinch the siphon to stop the flow).
But the big advantage bottling wands offer is that they fill your beer bottle from the bottom up. For one, this eliminates the guesswork as to the amount of headspace you need to leave for carbonation. The wand itself will displace space in the bottle. Once the bottle is full of beer, stop the flow. Once you remove the wand, the perfect amount of headspace will be left.
Also, this method keeps you from splashing the beer into the bottles, which agitates the beer and allows oxygen to get into it. You want to avoid this at all costs. Remember, the air has germs, bacteria and other microorganisms that want to get into your beer and contaminate it. So you want to avoid splashing the beer and aerating it.
Here is a bottling tip that will simplify the process, and keep things clean as well. If you have limited space, this is perfect. For bottling beer, you need to have the bottles sanitized prior to using. Simply place the bottles top down in your dishwasher a couple hours before you bottle. Run them through a wash cycle, but do not use any soap or drying agents, just hot water. This will actually sterilize the bottles, even better than sanitizing them!
Then, after they have dried, place your bottling bucket on the counter just above the dishwasher. Connect your vinyl tubing to the spigot, and also connect your bottling wand. Then, open the dishwasher door all the way and bottle on the door (or above it). This way, if you have any spills, they wind up on the dishwasher door and not all over your floor. Plus, your bottles are close by and ready to go.
A bottling wand is not essential in the process of how to make beer. However, it is an upgrade to seriously consider adding to your first equipment kit, or purchasing early into learning how to make beer. It makes the process of bottling much easier.
Get a free how to make beer e book
Visit my website to learn more about how to make beer