Well, that question is answered. There's been a lotta times I've sat in front of a kettle waiting for the boil to finish, wondering, "Why am I doing this for those few more points on the IBU? Why not put in a few more pellets?" Boiling isn't just sanitation and bittering, it may also be to get rid of undesirable flavors. For example, Warrior, while excellent for bittering at 16AA, it tastes like lawn clippings if you don't boil it long enough to get rid of the flavoring oils. I can't say I'd EVER intentionally use Warrior in flavoring or aroma additions, certainly not in dry-hopping. Now I have to wonder how long before the 'grassy' flavor goes away. How long that takes might be part of the boil time. I guess the option there is use more of a more preferred flavor hop, and just adjust it for the IBU. Not the most efficient use of expensive hops, though.
As for mash, I already knew mash time was mostly about utilization, but there are some other things to consider too. I think. Lower temperature mashing can produce drier beers because of simpler sugars making more fermentable wort, but higher temperature mashes will deliver the wort faster, and produce maltier/sweeter beer. More sparging will deliver more sugars and dilute the wort. No sparge is the least efficient use of the malt, but the simplest mash method. More sugar to bump the gravity will wind up with more watery tasting higher alcohol beer with less flavor, I would think. Never thought too much about the sugar addition shortcut, but it makes perfect sense considering the last batch I did used a pound of corn sugar for that very purpose. Same goes for Rapier Wit, lots of Candi sugar in that. Higher gravity, very little effect on flavor or color. I guess I really don't have a question now, just a decision.
As far as "when" is concerned, in with the wort after mash if you're gonna add sugar. Hot wort will help dissolve the sugar, and the boil will certainly sanitize anything you add within a few minutes. Problem solved. Sometimes, though, the malt can make a difference, right? Like the difference in 6-Row versus 2-Row? 6-Row in the same recipe definitely made a drier beer than the 2-Row, but both really popped with the corn flavoring from the flaked corn. I like both, but one is noticeably drier than the other, if memory serves and I'm smart enough to know what's dry and what ain't.
If you're doing low temperature mashing, won't the same amount of starch take longer to convert to simpler sugars while you're trying to hold back Beta amylase enzymes?
I'm assuming honey does the same thing as sugar for the OG, but how much honey flavor is left over after boiling/fermenting? I can see that giving an interesting flavor to a stout or heavy beer, not unlike a mead. For that matter, I can think of thousands of flavors I'd like to try using baking/cooking extracts to take out some of the infection risks. Maybe try the 'real McCoy' additions after I try the beer. Guess I better look up some honey beer recipes now. I gave myself a craving.
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