HOPIQ FACEOFF
81%
Overall similarity
hopIQ take
Aying Märzen if you want a richer, more substantial malt backbone,
Protokoll Märzenbier if you want something leaner and crisper.
Both clock identical IBUs at 22, so bitterness isn't the differentiator—it's that half-degree ABV swing that shifts the whole feel. Aying carries more presence; Protokoll feels like it's stepping back to let you breathe.
At a glance
Generated from the four anchored axes — never hand-written.
Beer DNA
Body
Δ 2
Sweetness
Δ 7
Situations
In words
Aying Märzen
Aying hits you with genuine bread-crust maltiness, the kind that sticks around. There's a honey-like sweetness that doesn't cloy, backed by a light caramel note that feels earned rather than added. The finish is clean but substantial—you're left with a warm, grainy aftertaste that makes you want another sip immediately.
Protokoll Märzenbier
Protokoll is more restrained, almost elegant by comparison. The malt is there but it's leaner, more refined—less bread crust, more pale grain. It drinks lighter on your palate despite being a Märzen, which honestly works in its favor if you're settling in for multiple rounds. The finish is snappier, drier, less lingering sweetness.
See what fits your taste
hopIQ scores every beer against your palate, not the average drinker's.
Build your Beer DNAKeep exploring
Beers like Aying Märzen
View alternatives →Beers like Protokoll Märzenbier
View alternatives →Both are
Similarly carbonated
Within Δ 0. Neither reads as noticeably livelier on this axis.
Texture 75 vs 75 · Δ 0
Bitterness
Δ 0
Texture
Δ 0
Only Aying Märzen
Shared character
Only Protokoll Märzenbier