[denny]

I really don't like trying to "fix" beer once it's in the fermenter.

I agree.  Usually when I've tried to fix a beer it ends up worse than it probably would have been if I'd just left it.

[bonjour]

I really don't like trying to "fix" beer once it's in the fermenter.

I agree.  Usually when I've tried to fix a beer it ends up worse than it probably would have been if I'd just left it.

But Denny,   You know it's all about hitting your numbers,


TASTE doesn't matter.






       

IMHO  while numbers help,  too many brewers are fixated on them.

You have brewed beer, enjoy it

[tubercle]

IMHO  while numbers help,  too many brewers are fixated on them.

 The Tubercle Creed.

 This has stopped many a brewer from ENJOYING the craft.

[thomasbarnes]

I would think that adding sugar at this point would only add alcohol (does that in itself lighten body?), but adding sugar and water so that you maintain the same OG would lighten the body and lower your FG.

I wouldn't mess with it. Once fermentation has gotten started, I'd be too scared of oxidation. I could see adding solid sugar if you stir very carefully. I wouldn't want to add water, though, unless it was deoxygenated. Presumably, adding a boiled sugar syrup could work - high enough sugar concentration to make it hostile to bugs, plus boiling to drive off oxygen.

[malzig]

Adding sugar during fermentation is a pretty common technique among Belgian-style beer brewers, so I'm not sure why people think this might ruin this beer.

Not that I'm particularly advocating adding sugar to this beer.  While I think that dropping the FG by 1.002 is a noticeable difference, the difference here will probably be more subdued, since the amount of unfermentable sugars won't change.

[ccarlson]

Adding sugar during fermentation is a pretty common technique among Belgian-style beer brewers, so I'm not sure why people think this might ruin this beer.

Not that I'm particularly advocating adding sugar to this beer.  While I think that dropping the FG by 1.002 is a noticeable difference, the difference here will probably be more subdued, since the amount of unfermentable sugars won't change.

I agree, it won't ruin the beer, unless too much is added..

[nateo]

The OP is concerned that mashing higher than intended means he'll have more a "thicker" body. On one of those brewstrong interviews with Charlie Bamforth, they talk about how it really takes a ton of dextrin, all other things being equal, to increase the "body" of the beer. So mashing a bit hotter than you wanted, by itself, will have a small-to-negligible effect on the "thickness" of your beer.

From that, and my experience, I'd say the difference between actual attenuation and potential attenuation has a bigger effect on the perceived body than any of the absolute numbers. I've had a Belgian pale ferment down to 1.010 and a Saison ferment to 1.004, with almost the same OG. The pale seemed drier and thinner than the saison.

Doing a forced ferment test gives you a number to "shoot" for. You can still mess it up, like when I overshot my pale, and undershot my saison, but at least you're not flying blind.

So back to the OP's concerns, here's what I'd do. Pull off some wort and do a forced ferment test. See how your wort ferments out as-is. If you're off your mark, rouse and warm the yeast until you get the FG where you want it to be.

[tomsawyer]

Given that the FG won't change appreciably, nor will the content of unfermentables contributing to perception of body, still a higher ABV might change your overall perception of the beer.  I wouldn't go over 10% of total fermentables as sugar, although I know some people go up to 20% in some recipes.

Personally I'd just leave it alone, you really don't know that you're going to need to fix it.  155F isn't so terribly high of a mash temp, depending on your yeast and ferm temp regimen you might still wind up with a low FG.  I know the Wyeast French saison yeast (3711?)  is a great attenuator.  Some of the others need really warm ferm temps to keep going properly.

[tschmidlin]

I wouldn't add any sugar either.  Let it finish, then give it a taste.  If the FG is too high and you don't like the body, I would throw some brett in there.  It should go nicely with the saison base and dry it out a bit.

[bluesman]

The other option is to make another beer to blend with it. I've blended a Saison with a strong Tripel to make a really nice beer. Just another option.

You may find it to be just fine as is. 

[redbeerman]

BTW, what yeast is being used?  Not that this will matter a lot, but I know WLP565 can trick you if you are not careful.  You'll think it's done and then it starts again.  Make sure that the fermentation is really finished.  I wouldn't add sugar either at this point.

[skyler]

If it was my beer, I would probably add honey or inverted sugar syrup at high krausen - I have had good experience doing that.

[Kit B]

I'm surprised that no one has asked about the original recipe, to establish what might be good/bad..

[Malticulous]

It's hard to get a thick body with only a 1.042 OG. It's probably fine, but the recipe would help us decide.

[smizak]

You could just throw some Wyeast 3711 in (if that's not your primary strain). That yeast doesn't seem to care about mash temps.