Help! Wrong Fruit in Primary...salvageable?

Hey, I posted before but perhaps my title wasn't catchy enough.

I'm doing a Cranberry Raspberry Ale...I stirred the fruit into 170F water at the end of my boil. Now it's in the primary bubbling like mad. Then I was reading that you should put those types of berries in the secondary, not the primary. The recipe was originally a cherry recipe, apparently you can put cherries in the primary.

Can I save this....actually...what happens when the fruit ferments with the beer??? All I've found here is advice to rack to a secondary w fruit on the bottom.

The sugars in the fruit are going to ferment wether they are in the primary or secondary. Usually, you can dump the fruit into the secondary with little prep (maybe freezing to help release juices/sugars) because the alcohol content will help ward off infection if the fruit contains nasties. If the fruit is in the primary and there is a violent fermentation going on... I imagine the alcohol will soon be at the party. If it was added at the end of the boil, it has been sterilized anyway.

Personally, I like to add fruit to the secondary because I tend to think of it producing a "cleaner", more pure fruit flavor, especially compared to fruit added at the end of a boil when it tends to take on that cooked fruit flavor.

You're fine. I would just taste it a couple of weeks after ferm is complete and maybe re-dose with fruit if you desire a stronger fruit flavor.

Awesome! Thanks, that gives me peace of mind, I'll let 'er bubble away.

With regard to fruity flavor...the wort was totally loaded w fruit flavor when I tasted my gravity sample but I'm not sure how much of that will disappear as the yeast munches away.

Any fruit flavor is really just aroma, so as the sugar level decreases your perception of the fruit will decline.

I tasted the beer as I transferred to the secondary last night, it had almost fully fermented in 3 days.

The cranberries didn't really influence the beer because I didn't puree them but the raspberry flavor is definitely quite evident despite going through a vigorous primary fermentation. It's also super malty and the hops combines with the slight hint of cranberry (because a few of them decided to get in the mix). I'm giving it a week in the secondary for the remaining sediment to drop and then I'll give it 3 weeks to bottle condition.

2 days after bottling it tastes pretty bitter, I think perhaps due to the cranberries. The color is gorgeous and it's pretty strong (around 7-8%, my wife broke my gravity meter so I'm in the dark).

I think after about 3 weeks of mellowing we should be sluggin' it back on New Years.

Fruit may contain vegetal material that can contribute soem bitterness...

As David said, the fruit provides mostly aroma. For that reason, certain fresh fruits may fade quicker than others - I believe strawberries are notorious for a quick fade.

The reasons (as I understand it) behind putting fruit in the secondary is as follows:

-The already present alcohol will help prevent infection
-The vigorous fermentation process/CO2 release will carry some of the fruit aroma away

Given this, assuming it's not infected (which I sincerely doubt it will be because of the early addition) the only downside will be slightly less fruit aroma because some of it was carried away by the fermentation.

It'll be fine.

Thanks so much guys! I'm hoping that the cranberry taste fades because it's the best beer I've ever brewed aside from the overpowering cranberry presence (despite only putting around 200 grams in the primary).

I was reading that at Dogfish Head brewery certain fruit is often added either at some point in the boil or just after to both sterilize and infuse flavor, but whether it is strained out before going into the primary really depends on the fruit.

Anyways, I'll have to go crack one right now for another taste so I can assess....tee hee.

Oh Grizzlybrew....I just made a strawberry "lager" (kit beer w strawberries) and 3 weeks after bottling the strawberry flavor is almost gone....so you are totally dead on man! Thanks.

Had a taste....the cranberry is mellowing nicely, it's totally creamy, slightly sour and completely delicious.....HELL YEAH!!!!!!

Congrats, I need to try a fruity brew for SWMBO.

Oh man, I'd totally ditch the cranberries and do a double dose of raspberries. I'm gonna try this next time

2 cans (3.3 kg) Coopers Ale liquid malt extract
Substitute an ale specific yeast....not Coopers
50 grams Northern Brewer (bittering)
1/2 ounce Fuggles (flavor)
1/2 ounce Tettenager (aroma)
1 to 2 pounds Raspberries after the boil (at 170 F or 77 C). Stir to make whirlpool
Ferment until the head falls in and bubbler is at around 20 seconds per bubble
Rack onto about 3-4 pounds of raspberries in secondary.
Let it sit until it's done.

Right now the raspberry is totally sweet and the color is gorgeous....I want to brew a lambic but I can't stand waiting a year so I think this'll be the next best thing?????

Good luck with yours.