Each year, The In-Laws take a mid-winter slumber in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Their absence means that I go without reliable free childcare for 4 to 8 weeks. But, the trade off comes when they return home with a beer delivery. Their willingness to shop for me is matched only by my want to be there when The Mother-In-Law says to the guy behind the counter, “Excuse me. Do you have any Sexual Chocolate?”

Last year, the beer at the top of my list was Terrapin Beer Company’s Moo-Hoo. It’s milk stout, not unlike the exceptional Left Hand Milk Stout, but flavored with cacao nibs and shells. This is different than the chocolate stout considered to be among the best in the business, Southern Tier Brewing Company’s Choklat, which is an imperial stout. Terrapin makes an eclectic, but solid, range of beers including the highly regarded RecreationAle, HI-5 IPA, Hopsecutioner, and Liquid Bliss, a highly drinkable chocolate peanut butter porter. The Athens, Ga. based brewery does not distribute in New York, but they get as far north as Bethlehem, Pa., which is good enough for my semi-regular trips to the Lehigh Valley.

It’s tough not to compare this to the Left Hand Milk Stout, particularly since it is the only one of two milk stouts I’ve ever consumed (Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp collaboration with Ninkasi being the other). Both have a roasty toasty, chocolate and malt nose. Both have a creamy mouthfeel and medium body. The difference is in the flavor. While the Left Hand is going to have a rich, sweet flavor, Terrapin serves up a bitter cocoa flavor that at the finish tastes more like milk chocolate because of the beer style.

(Oh, so why milk stout? These beers are not made with milk, but with lactose, the milk-related sugar. Lactose cannot be fermented when yeast is added. Instead of becoming alcohol, it turns into a sweet element that creates flavor and body.)

It’s not like a Yoo-Hoo or chocolate milk beer. Imagine if you had hot chocolate made with bittersweet cocoa. That would be closer to the feeling and flavor in your mouth. This is a smooth beer that is much lighter than I was expecting from a stout. The night I bought this, I contemplated buying just a single. I ended up grabbing a whole four-pack and I’m glad I did.

Brewer: Terrapin Beer Company

Beer: Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout

Style: Milk/sweet stout

ABV: 6.0% IBU: 30

Container: 12 oz. bottle

Price: $11 (purchased as a four-pack) Point of Purchase: Abe’s Cold Beer, Bethlehem, Pa.

To The Eye: Black as night with a thick tan head (it was a stout so I went with a hard pour). A nice lacing lasts throughout.

To The Nose: Chocolate and toasty. Hint of sweetness.

To The Palate: Very complex. It starts with bitter chocolate, which continues through the drink. The creamy mouthfeel offsets the bitterness, as does the malt. Medium body, which is very deceiving considering the beer style.

Aftertaste: Chocolatey with a hint of sweetness.

Boozy Factor: Average for a stout.

On a Scale of 1 to 10, with 10 as highest: 9