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Is that the Jabberwock on the label of this bottle of Stateside Saison from the Stillwater Artisan Brewery of Stratford, Conn.? The Jubjub bird? The frumious Bandersnatch? Should I take vorpal sword in hand?

Whatever. It’s one ugly, nightmarish beast. 

But inside the bottle is another matter. 

This is a tasty saison with a bold finish of … what? I can’t quite grasp it. Is it citrus? Fruit? Melon and grapefruit? Meyer lemon? Lillikoi? I just can’t pin it down, other than it’s a bright blast of complex flavor, with an underlying punch of alcohol, and a grassy, grainy, fizzy finish.

I look forward to the trippy explosion of bright flavor with each sip, which might be the very definition of a good beer. This beer keeps the mouth occupied and interested in taking another sip shortly after the bold statement begins to fade away on the palate. 

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Well, who could pass up this flashy bottle? I couldn’t. Loved the concept immediately. There is something beautiful about the design. Monochromatic with a bright blast of red. The deconstructed design of the horse reminds me of Albrecht Durer’s self-portrait with the plague. It’s a masterful label that makes my eye happy.

So, let’s see what’s inside this attractive bomber bottle of Unbridled, a 100 percent Brettanomyces fermented India pale ale from Surly Brewing Co. 

I pour it into an English half-pint and it shines with that inner amber glow of a beautiful IPA, with a fluffy and inviting white head topping it off. I dive into a beautifully balanced IPA that tastes as if it might have a Belgian golden ale in its lineage. That, I suspect, must be the result of the wild yeast. A spiciness at the start and a tart pinch at the end.

It has a lovely warming effect. There is something poetic about this beer. I feel the urge to write a transcendtal haiku in honor of this beer. And then I notice on the side of the label, someone just missed making a haiku of it:

Wild yeast. Exotic hop notes.

Run wild. Run Free.

Be on fire. Buck convention.

I was going to take a run at it myself, but I can’t get past the lyrics to Michael Martin Murphy’s “Wildfire.”

She’ll be riding Wildfire…