My westy clone got something goin on

I was discussing this in the recipe thread but it seems i should discuss it here instead. After 2 months in secondary i found that it has some kind of bacteria or wild yeast thing happening. It could be the same bucket as i used the time when i got serious spiderweb looking stuff with bubbles on top. looked like some of the pics in the pellicle photo collection thread. I got the advice in the other thread not to dump the beer but to siphon it to a glass carboy and leave it and see what happens. I tasted this beer and it wasnt sour but i dont know if its wild yeast or infection...

Looks like you have something there. Bottle/keg and keep cool and your beer should be OK.

It will take a while to affect the taste of the beer, but it will eventually if left alone. Might end up as a good beer.

My guess is it is Brett. The alcohol and hops should keep most other things at bay, so it might get complex and funky, but probably not sour.

Agree that you caught some type of wild yeast or bacteria. If you bottle it before it eats through those extra sugars, you better make sure you keep it cool so you avoid bombs. Otherwise keep it in the carboy and let it ride for a year prior to bottling. Bet it would be a really good beer 2 years down the line.

Time to designate the plastic brewing equipment to sour duty, throw out and buy new, or go shock and awe with some diluted bleach soaking.

There appears to be something in there, but difficult to tell what it is. It could turn out OK or be terrible. I'd take control of the fermentation and add my own Brett to out-compete whatever it is in there. That way you have a good idea about what it will taste like when it is finished. Transfer to a carboy and add the Brett and let it sit for at least 3 months, preferably 6 and then bottle. If you bottle now, you will most likely end up with overcarbed beer or bottle bombs.

Also, it looks like you can a lot of headspace in that bucket. That's OK for primary fermentation, but longer term aging should be done in a vessel to minimize exposure to oxygen.

I'd imagine it's either brett or pedio -- my understanding is both can create a pellicle in the presence of oxygen.

If this is taking place in a fermentor in which you previously had infected batches, especially since its a bucket, I would just toss that fermentor. A Belgian Dark Strong Ale with some funkiness to it isn't the end of the world (in fact it may turn out to be amazing), but its definitely something that you want to be able to control and not just be at the whims of a poorly sanitized bucket.

I'd concur with the previous replies -- just let it go for a while and maybe toss in some Brett of your own. Perhaps siphon it to a secondary with MUCH less head space.

If that is your secondary you hav way to much headspace. This would cause oxygen issues and lead to infection.