Shortlived off-white head over red-orange amber beer, clear. Fruity nose; fruitgums, raspberry, felt. Demure nose, certainly for Rodenbach. Sour raspberry. Some lactic acid, fruitacids and -esters, finally way more complex than the nose suggested. Light body, acidthinning; good, if quasi invisible carbonation. Nice fruitbeer, satisfying, but absolutely nowhere revolutionary. Txs to Stef

With the "Evolved" series, new owner Bavaria has started a new and so far mildly interesting tradition in the old Rodenbach brand, with this year's variant being a play on the Caractère Rouge theme, a fruit variant launched in 2011 and macerated with cherries, cranberries and raspberries. This one uses raspberries and mango, the latter being a fruit species I would never associate with 'oud bruin' - but then anything goes nowadays, so let us find out if this works. From a 75 cl bottle with cork and muselet. Thick and frothy, crackling, pale yellowish beige, uneven-edged but somewhat retaining, if eventually nearly dissolving head on an initially clear, pure deep orange-glowing amber coloured beer with copper-brownish tinge and lots of strong, visible sparkling, turning misty in the end with the sediment added. Aroma of sour yoghurt, mango chutney and mango sherbet, raspberry vinegar, touch apple vinegar also, marmalade, caramel, sweet sherry, hints of oak wood (very subtle here - I guess mostly young, non-oaked Rodenbach was used), 'mottenbollen', oxidized rosé wine, rosehip, wet limestone, rooibos tea, some background Brettanomyces sweatiness warming up. Tart onset, quite sharply so for a Rodenbach due to the raspberries, with a touch of raspberry vinegar flavour-wise but luckily no harsh acetic effect, though consistently souring; the mango adds a bit of sweetness as well as retronasal aroma, but feels a bit artificial, as in mango extract; this sour-sweetness however does match the classic Rodenbach profile better than one would perhaps expect. Yoghurty, drying tartness pushing through a slick caramelly malt core, very smooth-edged and in itself harbouring some sweetness, while the raspberry and mango flavours continue well into a sweet-and-sour finish where the sourness remains quite edgy. Oaky vanillin notes do appear in the end, adding a layer of complexity, but remain altogether subtle. Some sherry-ish alcohol gently warms, while the fruit tones, red and yellow so to speak, begin to fade - but their artificial extract-like nature lingers on for quite a while. "The new Evolved Caractère is an answer to a new trend combining sour beers with fruit to get a more balanced taste", the press release text says - I wonder how this trend is "new", considering e.g. cherry lambics have been around for generations, but I guess this odd statement has more to do with shallow marketing than with actual beer history. That said, a Rodenbach with mango was not something I saw coming, and though I can appreciate the attempt as such, it does clash a bit with the already hollowed-out character (sic) of Rodenbach beer, at least to my taste - fortunately this beer still dares to be sour and is not the sickly sweet rouge or 'yellow' liquid candy I was fearing (I still remember a thing called Redbach) so that is definitely a plus, but at the same time it lacks a bit in depth like all Rodenbach products since the takeover, and both the raspberry and mango flavours feel artificial and unnaturally 'added' rather than truly - with real fruit - macerated. Not as bad as expected, but not my cup of tea either - I will gladly take the 'classic' Rodenbach Caractère Rouge over this any time.

Bottle at Brugge BF. Clear orange red amber colour. Lasting off white head. Mixed fruit aroma. Mostly red fruits. Some sourness. Yes good fruits. Not complex but pretty drinkable. And I do like Rodenbach so I am designed to liked their beers.