"This is a chart that shows the ideal temps for converting the availiable starches into fermentable sugars of a certain grain. When we mash a grain that is what we are doing, converting starches into sugar if you will. As you can see from the chart if we boil our grains we denature the very thing we are after.
With a beer wash after mashing we remove the wash from the grains (sparge) then boil the wash and add hops, after the boil then we ferment. In this application we dont add sugar to the wash because mashing the grains converts starches into fermentable sugars, then add yeast and ferment.
With a whiskey wash we mash the grains and then sparge then we add 5-10 lbs of sugar and ferment. Of course there are other items we add to certain recipes but this is as explaination of mashing not recipe construction. This chart is pretty simple to decipher so take a look and the next time you mash grains use this if you think it will help.
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