Tip bottle during fill

[Etnewbrew]

In a week or so my first bottling experience will happen. I've read lots about bottle wands and siphons and tubing length etc. I have a bottle bucket with spigot. Why can't I skip the wand and tube and just put the bottle right up against the spigot? I would tilt the bottle and let beer run down the inside at an angle to reduce agitation.

Will this work? Why or why not?

 

[DosGatosBrewing]

You would probably still end up with air in the beer, and that would likely allow for oxidation. You want to avoid the wet-cardboard flavor. It happens.
A bottling wand on a 2" length of hose works very well for me. Try to avoid the spring-loaded wands. A little piece of debris can cause it to stick open. I use the kind that force you to press the little stem at the bottom against the bottom of the bottle. Priced at something like $2.

 

[ChuckS1]

My bottling wand has the little stem at the bottom and a spring. Never had a problem with it sticking. For the OP, use the wand. It gives you consistency on the amount of headspace on each bottle if you fill the bottle to the top. If oxygen is an issue for you, then use oxygen-absorbing bottle caps.

 

[beermanpete]

I have used the wands with good results. Lately I use the spigot and a short length of hose with the bottle held up to it so the hose touches the bottom of the bottle. Either way agitation and foaming are minimal and you can get reasonably uniform fill height from bottle to bottle.

 

[rhys333]

I just attach a 12" length of tubing onto the bottling spigot. It's all you need really.

 

[Konadog]

The problem with using tubing is it drains between bottles, a bottling wand with the stopper at the bottom keeps the beer in the line.

It can be done multiple ways, each with it's own drawbacks.

 

[Etnewbrew]

My kit came with the same wand y'all mentioned. So tilt the bottle is a no go? I'm not against the wand just didn't want to futz with extra steps if unneeded.

 

[beermanpete]

There is no need to tilt the bottle if you use the wand. When I was using the wand I would arrange a lot of bottles in a cooking sheet with shallow sides and fill them all in pretty fast and place caps loosely as I went along. This discussion has got me to thinking I should go back to the wand as it may be faster and have less oxygen exposure to the beer.

In the end you can do as you suggest but there is a higher risk of oxidizing the beer and therefore degrading the quality of its flavor. Your beer: Your call.

 

[Konadog]

My kit came with the same wand y'all mentioned.

Well heck, cut yourself a 2" piece of tubing and put it on the end of your spigot, then the wand, hang it just off the end of a counter and put a chair in front of it and you'll see it's easier than twisting the valve all the time, or worse, spilling beer everywhere with just a tube.

 

[ChuckS1]

You might want to consider filling a 12 ounce plastic soda bottle to use as a carbonization gauge. As the bottle gets hard, you know your beer's carbing. After a week or so, it should be rock hard, just like a regular soda. Tends to eliminate the anxiety of "is my beer carbed?" Doubts we all have when we bottle.