Like some fire in your beer? These chile-infused brews will do the trick

There’s no shortage of brews infused with chiles, but many of the examples are more “experimental” than “drinkable” -- brews more suited to jocular one-upmanship than a serious consideration of flavor. Thankfully, some brewers are using chiles to create balanced and unusual beers, and often this breed of more drinkable spicy brews shines when served with foods from Mexican fare to dessert.

Here are four examples that won’t (just) melt your face off.

Stone - Smoked Chipotle Porter

Stone Brewing has just re-released its popular Smoked Porter variant that’s laced with chipotle peppers, and it balances the fruity, smoky character of the peppers with the rich malts and hint of smoke. It should be a breeze to find, inexpensive, and the beer is wonderful with food. Carne asada tacos, fajitas, or even a slice of chocolate cake are all great matches for this drinkable porter.

Ballast Point - Habanero Sculpin

A personal favorite, Habanero Sculpin takes the base tropical fruit-forward West Coast IPA (one of the best in the world) and turns up the heat with a judicious addition of piquant peppers. The brew lives right on the border of “really hot” and “yikes,” and like a bowl of intense salsa that you can’t stop eating for fear of the burn, Habanero Sculpin impels you to take sip after sip until your pint runs dry. Previously only available on draught, the brewery has released the specialty beer in six-packs perfect for a cookout (or to use in a michelada).

Ommegang - Fire & Blood Ale

Brewery Ommegang’s third tie-in beer for HBO’s “Game of Thrones” series is a red ale infused with ancho chiles, but the peppers are only a supporting flavor to the beer’s caramelly malt and zesty, herbal hops. Fire and Blood is a great example of balance and subtlety in a pepper beer, and it’s another versatile food beer (it’s especially nice with cheese). While the first two “Game of Thrones” beers sold out in a flash, the New York brewery greatly increased production on this release, and it should still be plentiful on the shelves of local bottle shops.

Monkish - Shaolin Fist

Here’s a local option that’s a bit of a cheat; this Belgian-style dubbel isn’t infused with chiles, but with Sichuan peppercorns. While it isn’t spicy in the way the other pepper beers are, Shaolin Fist exhibits that tingly, numbing sensation that the peppercorns are known for. It’s a unique flavor in beer that remains in balance with the dark fruit and spicy yeast character of the brew, which was just released in bottles for the first time. If you want something with a little more spicy punch, keep your eyes out for the cask ale variant called Shaolin Kick which adds Thai basil and sriracha sauce to the base brew.