diff --git a/src/main/groovy/com/github/reiseburo/verspaetung/KafkaPoller.groovy b/src/main/groovy/com/github/reiseburo/verspaetung/KafkaPoller.groovy
index 5030826..c49b6eb 100644
--- a/src/main/groovy/com/github/reiseburo/verspaetung/KafkaPoller.groovy
+++ b/src/main/groovy/com/github/reiseburo/verspaetung/KafkaPoller.groovy
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ class KafkaPoller extends Thread {
         this.brokerConsumerMap = [:]
         this.brokers = []
         this.onDelta = []
+        setName("Verspaetung Kafka Poller")
     }
 
     /* There are a number of cases where we intentionally swallow stacktraces
@@ -161,14 +162,19 @@ class KafkaPoller extends Thread {
         disconnectConsumers()
         LOGGER.info('Creating SimpleConsumer connections for brokers {}', this.brokers)
         synchronized(this.brokers) {
-            this.brokers.each { Broker b ->
-                SimpleConsumer consumer = new SimpleConsumer(b.host,
-                                                             b.port,
+            this.brokers.each { Broker broker ->
+                SimpleConsumer consumer = new SimpleConsumer(broker.host,
+                                                             broker.port,
                                                              KAFKA_TIMEOUT,
                                                              KAFKA_BUFFER,
                                                              KAFKA_CLIENT_ID)
-                consumer.connect()
-                this.brokerConsumerMap[b.id] = consumer
+                try {
+                    consumer.connect()
+                    this.brokerConsumerMap[broker.id] = consumer
+                }
+                catch(Exception e) {
+                    LOGGER.info('Error connecting cunsumer to {}', broker, e)
+                }
             }
         }
         this.shouldReconnect = false
@@ -184,7 +190,12 @@ class KafkaPoller extends Thread {
     private void disconnectConsumers() {
         this.brokerConsumerMap.each { Integer brokerId, SimpleConsumer client ->
             LOGGER.info('Disconnecting {}', client)
-            client?.disconnect()
+            try {
+                client?.disconnect()
+            }
+            catch(Exception e) {
+                LOGGER.info('Error disconnecting {}', client, e)
+            }
         }
     }