Captain Jack's Octofest

I recently had several beers foisted upon me by a very generous friend, and Captain Jack's Octofest was among them.  I'd never heard of the Captain Jack's before (looks like it's put out by Drunk Monkey Brew Werks in Lewistown, PA).  I love finding little-known labels like this -- sometimes they're surprisingly good.  Here goes:

Vittles:

Marzen/Oktoberfest

Score:

Appearance: 8/10

Aroma: 21/25

Taste: 36/40

Mouthfeel: 8/10

Style: 5/5

Drinkability: 8/10

Overall: 86/100

Impression:

The head retains decently well and leaves mild lacing as it falls.  I really like the aroma -- it's toasty, with caramel, toffee, earthy, woody, and herbal notes.  I also smell something that reminds me of chocolate, but not quite.  Every now and then I get a straw-like whiff, but it doesn't linger.  The flavors are very similar, with the earthy/woody/herbal characteristics coming more to the front.  The flavors aren't overly strong, which is nice.  There's just enough carbonation to bring a slight sting to the tongue, and the medium-full body rounds it all out very well.  All in all, I'm very happy I wound up with this bottle in my keezer.  I'd absolutely be interested in trying more Captain Jack beers in the future, but it doesn't look like their distribution reaches out to my area yet -- it looks like they only distribute to three counties so far.  Here's hoping they expand soon!

Cheers!