Yellow. As full bodied as you can expect. Very light citrus fruit taste with mild bitterness.

The brewery rep didn’t think you could classify this beer into any one style, but after one sip it is easily identified as a porter. There were flavors of coffee and sweet malt. Also herbal flavors. The beer is black and thick with no head.

Pours a honey like color. Aroma is very sweet and sugery. Flavor is very musty and fruity. Lots of corriander and lemon to make this a intresting brew. The honey in the aroma is also a presence in the flavor. I guess there s some tulip in here but i don’t really know what they taste like. I would deffinatly recomend this as a after dinner brew.

On tap at New Holland. Yellow-orange body, thin off-white head. Tangy wheat body with traditional banana and clove flavors, finishing with a somewhat bitter aftertaste. Unfortunately this seemed "dumbed-down" and quite watery. I prefer fuller-bodied versions.

On tap at New Holland. Dark brown-black body, thin-medium tan head. Body was quite chocolatey with roasted malts, toast, a hint of coffee, and bitter, almost piney hops. Lightly acidic and woody. Bordering on fruity as it warmed up. Not a bad porter.

On tap at New Holland. Dark chocolate-brown body (porter-like), topped by a thin off-white head. This beer didn’t really seem to fit the style; roasted malt and chocolate were prominent and wheat and yeast notes were sparse. As the beer warmed some of the tangy wheat component became evident and the wisp of banana esters came along with it. More like a wheat porter than a dunkelweizen.

Pours a dark brown color with a slight reddish tint. Medium beige head and thin lacing. The aroma is malty and chocolaty. Medium-bodied and very smooth and toasty throughout. The flavor is sort of a hybrid Doppelbock and Porter. Coffee, malt, caramel and chocolate are all present. The finish is lightly bitter roasted coffee and sweet malt. All in all a well-balanced and easily drinkable beer from New Holland.

Looks like it’s Michigan’s turn to figure out if this beer is divine or not. Phi pours a deep red-brown (almost like a dark red wine), topped by a medium light tan head. Aroma is toasty with toffee and a touch of cheerios and earthy hops. There seems to be a bit of discussion as to how to classify this beer, so I’ll add my take. Phi seems to fit somewhere between an Old Ale and English Strong Ale...of course, it is apparently a lager. That said, this is a very ale-like lager, with toast and toffee balancing the sweet caramel/fruit flavors of the Munich malts, finishing with a nice, earthy, toasty bitterness. Most strong lagers have a syrupy, bulky mouthfeel, but Phi is lighter on the tongue and is crisply carbonated. Alcohol is well-hidden but makes itself known on the tongue after a few sips. Reminds me a bit of another beer in the "High Gravity" series, Dragon’s Milk. Worth the wait.

2005 edition.This year’s recipe appears to be different, and that’s not a good thing. The body is much lighter (hazy light orange with a thin cream-colored head). Aroma of fermented fruit (peach, white grape, apricot) and wet hay. The flavor is a rather nightmarish concoction of reeking fermented fruits (same as above, with some apple notes too), caramel, and toast, combining to form a medicinal, syrupy morass from which little redemption can be pulled. Finishes sickeningly sweet and a touch leathery. Underfermented and highly disappointing. The 2005 version may warrant a separate listing.

5-3-5-2-10 (2.5)

Bottled. Amber colour, average head. Soapy, hoppy grapefruit aroma. Dry with clean mouthfeel. Grapefruit & apricot jam in the finish along with salty licorice and a healthy dose of of bitterness. All focus on the hops. Technical perfection, but lack of soul.

Pours a nice copper with big white head. Flavor is a nice crisp hop bite with the usual citrus tang. Flavor is a bit subpar and nopthing really stands out. Ok but not great.