Like Britain, Belgium has had its fair share of brewery closures over the years.

During the early 1970s, a group of beer enthusiasts decided, as a weekend project, to renovate a redundant mid-19th century brewery in a village not far from Ostend.

Having achieved this laudable aim they christened themselves, with a typically sardonic Flemish shrug, De Dolle Brouwers, which translates as The Mad Brewers.

Mad they may be, talented they definitely are, specialising in strong, top-fermented, bottle-conditioned beers. Their signature beer, Oerbier, featured here a few years ago, and this week we encounter its partner, Arabier.

Very pale yellow in colour, it pours with a huge, foamy and persistent head that lasts and lasts. The aroma shows banana, a little raspberry fruit, a touch of honey and a sharp sting of carbon dioxide.

Some alcohol is evident too, and a little whiff of spice. The flavour begins with light, sweet malt, followed by some citrus fruit and hints of clove.

These are joined by a robust hoppy bitterness that really clings to the inside of the mouth, and lasts long into the aftertaste. There are some floral and herbal notes at the finish, and some alcoholic heat, everything holding together in beautiful balance.

Mad or not, this is quality brewing that UK Government taxation policy might banish from the market.

Maybe best to buy now, before September’s further duty hike, supposedly aimed at the “park bench drinker”, threatens to price splendid beers like this beyond the pockets of British beer lovers.

As recommended by Jim Helsby, of the York Beer And Wine Shop, Sandringham Street, York