The day a brewery is saved from closure is always a good day. It was consequently a good day in Belgium in 2008 when Duvel-Moortgat stepped in to keep alive one of the country’s greatest brewing traditions.

The Liefmans brewery in Oudenaarde had ceased production. Its parent company, Riva, had gone bust and the heritage of aged brown ales that coloured the town seemed shattered. Happily, the makers of the famous Duvel rode to the rescue and Liefmans beers are back on sale.

Today, wort for Liefmans beers is prepared at Duvel’s brewery in Breendonk. The old vessels at Oudenaarde are in need of repair and it’s not economically viable to do that, say the new owners.

But the wort is tankered back to Oudenaarde for fermentation with the Liefmans yeast that, in conjunction with wild yeasts in the atmostphere, produces tart, sour notes in the finished beer.

The old favourites have returned: Oud Bruin (the aged brown ale); Goudenband (a stronger blend of various vintages); and the widely acclaimed Kriek (brown ale refermented with cherries), although this is now packaged as Cuvée Brut.

What’s more there’s a new addition to the family, a beer they simply call Liefmans Fruit Beer. It was launched last year but has now secured widespread distribution in the UK, courtesy of Waitrose supermarkets.

The name is non-fruit specific for good reason: there are lots of different fruit juices in the mix, including strawberry, cherry, raspberry, elderberry and bilberry. Just as for the kriek, the base beer is the brown ale, but this is a far less demanding beer, with a far more commercial outlook.

The aroma is of cherry and marzipan primarily, although other soft fruits are in the jammy mix. In the glass, it looks like cherryade, and the taste is not too dissimilar either – perhaps akin to a blend of cherryade and raspberryade, but without so much fizz and not quite as sweet. There’s just a little acetic bite to counteract the sweetness, but it could certainly use more.

Creamy cherry and strawberry ice lolly flavours fill the finish, which is smooth, sweet and slowly drying, with bitterness steadily picking up.

Not unbearably sweet, although not challenging either, this is not a bad drink, but it’s not a beer that approaches the greats of Oudenaarde’s past. Personally, I’d opt for Cuvée Brut any day.