Mash-out vs Sparging

[ManDrinkingJuice]

For most all grain recipes I have unlocked so far I have to perform a mash-out by adding boiling water to the mash before draining the wort into my kettle. However, I have also unlocked some (amber ale) recipes where I have to instead sparge the mash before draining. Does anyone know what the difference between these 2 steps is in-game?

[ಠ_ಠ]

Effectively, none as far as I can tell.

In real life, mashing out is to stop enzymatic activity before sparging. Sparging is the act of slowly running hot water through the grain bed while constantly draining the mash tun into the boil kettle to more fully extract the sugars that are still attached to the grains. You're washing the sticky off, essentially.

in the game, since you can fully extract the sugars in the grain just by waiting until the numbers stop moving, it seems like a pointless step. But I haven't tested it extensively.

[Ferrous]

Presumably the game will eventually, after a few patches, simulate the need to sparge.