2 more questions....

[Guiness5150]

Sorry guys, but I'm full of questions today

#1...I have bottled 3 batches so far and the Wheat that has been in the bottle for 3+ weeks still doesn't have a whole lot of carb. I have a Stout that has been in for 2+ and I opened one last night...also very little head (nice taste, but flat) When I was taught how to carbonate my 'teacher' poured approx. 1/2 cup of water and 3/4 cup priming sugar (disolved and cooled) directly into the secondary, mixed it up and bottled from there. It sure is easy to bottle right out of the carboy, but is the sugar getting properly mixed? Could I rack into a third carboy (with the priming sugar+water mixture already in it) and then bottle?

#2...I would like to get into kegging (already tired of capping!) I have a line on some used corny kegs for around $15 (used) Could I get a co2 setup and a few kegs, keep different beer in each keg and tap off of each a litlle at a time, or do I have to finish the one I start...sorry if this seems like a very newbie question but...I am!
Thanks

[Jughead]

The third carboy idea is usually called a bottling bucket, and I'd recommend using one. I usually have some sediment in the secondary that I would want to avoid mixing back into the beer. A bottling bucket should give you an easier way to mix the sugar into the beer. Just try not to add air to the beer when stirring or racking.

You can switch kegs whenever you want. I used to have only one tap and kept three of four kegs around. During the winter I'd cool a couple outside if I was expecting company and then I'd be able to tap whichever was asked for.

[fretlessman71]

What temperature are your bottles conditioning at? If they're too cold, the yeast will lay dormant, which means that they'll fail to consume the priming sugar, and you'll have sweetish flat beer. If they're in the basement on the concrete floor, they're colder than you think they are....

[Guiness5150]

They are on the ceramic tile floor in the pantry. The house is kept at 69 degrees. I have a Nut brown that is upstair (warmer) in the bathtub...only been a week (but I snuck a drink and that tastes great!!)

[danno]

take a couple of bottles and set them on top of your refrigerator, and try them again this weekend. IMO, they're just not fully carbonated yet... (this isn't a bad thing, it's a rare beer that doesn't benefit from additional time conditioning...)

[fretlessman71]

Originally posted by Guiness5150
They are on the ceramic tile floor in the pantry. The house is kept at 69 degrees. If your ceramic tile floor feels colder than 69 degrees, your bottles are also that cold, I'd wager. You'd be better off finding a higher place in the house for them, and I suspect they'll take off pretty quickly.

[fretlessman71]

steveh just posted this elsewhere, but it has merit for your next batch: When adding priming sugar, add it to as little boiling water as you can get it to dissolve into, let it cool to room temp, and ONLY THEN should you add it to your beer in the bottling bucket. That water's gotta be sterile, and the sugar mixes better this way. Might be part of the problem with your wheat batch.