I use a piece of 3/16" rod chucked in my battery drive drill. Sip a case over the rod, turn down the lights, and spin it over the propane torch flame. I don't wait for a color change, as that's too hot even in the dark. Spinning keeps the annealing even, and the drill allows me to point the case down and let it slip into the can of water.
I anneal cases after working them, as if done before they'll usually collapse as you form them. I don't need to anneal again once they've been annealed once, but I shoot smokeless powder. Guys shooting BP anneal their case necks again to keep them soft enough to seal the chamber better. Not sure how often they do them?
