The Gusher Bug

Lord save us all. When I opened up the latest batch of Roundhouse Pale Ale, the thing let loose like a geyser, probably shooting beer a good six inches above the top of the bottle. If I’m processing through everything I’ve read correctly, we’ve caught a gusher bug, which is essentially an aggressive wild yeast strain that eats through the sugars that would under normal circumstances remain unfermented. The outcome is essentially hyper-carbonated alcohol water (mmm…), and undoubtedly due to some sanitation glitch.

Right now, we are using plastic buckets for our fermentation. They’ve now probably been through about 10-15 batches of beer apiece. Are there any homebrewers out there who can give me perspective on whether this may be the cause of my gusher bug? Do I need to get new buckets, clean them better, or just switch to glass carboys? Any insight much appreciated. And if you were brewing with us a couple weeks ago and took home a Roundhouse Pale Ale, go ahead and open it before it becomes an alcoholic hand grenade.

Drafty Kilt: the label

This is some of my best work, if I do say so myself. The bar is pretty high too.

The quote, for now, is: “I don’t wear a skirt. I wear a kilt. A kilt is what a Scotsman wears. A skirt is what your daddy wears to the cocktail lounge.” Spoken by the legendary pro wrestler, Roddy “Rowdy” Piper. Of course, none of this is final. We’ve even got two more weeks before we bottle the first batch of said Draftiness. So, suggestions/comments/compliments accepted.

On another note, this whole Lumberjack fiasco has me stymied. We’ve got essentially three names (Lumberjack, Last Stand and Dirty Beard) tied for the favorite. I don’t know who I am anymore. So please, keep voting. Maybe we can gain some clarity by putting off a decision.