Low Carbonation

[Mexibilly]

I bottled a belgian blond, 5.8%, and after a month in the bottle and 1 - 5 days in the fridge I consistently have maybe 30% of the carbonation I'd like to have.
I have an imperial red, ~9%, it's been in the bottle almost 3 weeks and after 2 or 3 days in the fridge it has no carb.
I don't have priming notes (I will from now on), but I believe they both got 5oz corn sugar, half in the bottling bucket, half the transfer, the 2nd half then the rest of the transfer.
Am I expecting it too quickly in the red?
Would carb drops be a good option for either?
I brewed an IPA for a specific group, had great carbonation, left a 6pack in the fridge for a week before the cookout then added 2 more to what I took over from the bottles in the basement at 55.
The fridge bottles were low carbonation and weak head, unlike the ones that spent 2 - 3 days in the fridge. The 2 straight from the basement may have been over carbed or it may have been the pouring skills of the one who drank them both, but they foamed to the top of the glass and couldn't be poured in their entirety.
Needless to say, I'm suddenly having issues and didn't make the impression with my home brews that I'd hoped to.
Any insight???

 

[flars]

The yeast in your bottles might be dormant if you are conditioning at 55°F. Bring the bottles to a warmer room, 70° to 75°F. After the beer warms up, gently invert the bottles to resuspend the yeast. Give one a test after two weeks at the warmer temperature.

 

[Mexibilly]

The yeast in your bottles might be dormant if you are conditioning at 55°F. Bring the bottles to a warmer room, 70° to 75°F. After the beer warms up, gently invert the bottles to resuspend the yeast. Give one a test after two weeks at the warmer temperature.

These conditioned for a few weeks at 68. After having great head, retention and carbonation I moved them to 55, putting 6 in the fridge. The 6 in the fridge were identically under carbed and the 2 from the basement were seemingly over carbed. I'll try one from the basement tonite and see if it was in fact the pour.
It still leaves me wondering, assuming nice tight caps, why the fridge bunch were less carbed after more time in the fridge

 

[flars]

Before you pour the next one, check your glassware. Make sure there isn't any soap residue, especially dishwasher spot remover. Scrub a glass with a salt paste and then rinse well. May not be part of the problem, but it removes the question of soap residue from being one of the possibilities.

 

[Mexibilly]

Interesting point Flars. I didn't consider that the glasses at the bbq we were attending could have been a bit dirty. I'll pour a fridge one tonite too...