A sour beer at Peter B’s owes its singular bite to local prickly pear.

Prickly pear grows on the Rustique Wines property on River Road near Salinas. Fruit from the barbed plant can be pressed into a bright, fruity juice with a unique floral sweetness perfect for refreshing cocktails or a brisk ale.

With that in mind, Natalie Mika, brewmaster for Peter B’s Brewpub in Monterey, harvested some of the colorful orbs a year ago to produce a sour ale. She also learned a valuable lesson that she used this time around: When picking fruit from cacti it is wise to wear sturdy gloves.

The current – and much less painful to the harvest team – release of Pleasure Nature almost glows, beaming ruby and rich amber hues. The beer is fresh and pleasantly tart, but what intrigues the senses are the shades cast by the desert and tropical fruits Mika (with the help of the team at Rustique) brings into play.

There’s a pleasant, hard cherry candy notion without the sweetness, for that comes in a more plush and mellow impression of guava. The genteel softness of freshly cut rose petals wafts over the palate, drifting into a lean minerality. With the effervescence of a sour beer comes a hint of salinity. Yet this is not a cushy sip, for all along it is pierced by a biting citrus.

Pleasure Nature is named for a local band that begged for a new sour. It’s cool, colorful, crisp and fun – and this time around, no one had to pluck needles from their bare hands.

Peter B’s Brewpub, 2 Portola Plaza (Portola Hotel and Spa), Monterey. 649-2699, portolahotel.com