‘Last Night in Soho’ and One Trippy Lager

‘Last Night in Soho’ is all glitz and glamor — until it isn’t. Ska Brewing’s Rue B. Soho Grapefruit Lager is a trippy beer pairing for this ride through the swinging sixties.

The Movie: Psychological Horror-Thriller / 2021 / Universal Pictures

The Beer: Grapefruit Helles Lager / 5% ABV / Ska Brewing – Durango, CO

*Mild Spoilers*

Modern cinema is full of reboots and uninspired adaptations, but every now and then something truly original strolls into the theater. These days, that’s Last Night in Soho.

Here’s the premise: Aspiring London fashion designer Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) finds herself miraculously able to slip back in time to the 1960s. There, she connects with a glamorous aspiring singer, Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). But this is a horror-thriller, and it’s not long before the glitzy facade of the past starts to break away and reveal something deeply sinister.

Writer and director Edgar Wright (Baby Driver, Shaun of the Dead) has said the story comes from his parents’ own coming-of-age tales from the ’60s in England, which lead him to become fascinated with the era. But amid all their positive memories of the fashion, music and culture, Wright’s parents recalled some bad times too. In an interview with The New York Times, Wright recalled his mother saying, “I went to Soho once with my friend and we got harassed by a man and chased out. And that’s the end of the story.”

Add in reality-bending dreams and time travel, and that’s Last Night in Soho in a nutshell. Okay, so it’s a lot more than that (Wright wrote the script with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, who did Penny Dreadful). And man, is it dark. It’s not outright scary, but Wright does an excellent job maintaining that uneasy sense of pending doom and danger throughout. And as is absolutely necessary for a movie focused on nightlife, the visuals are stunning backed with just enough gritty.

The tone gets a little uneven in the middle, but this is an impressively solid movie here for the most part. There’s a pretty good twist towards the end as well. Is it as trippy as we’d expect from a ’60s-themed psycho thriller? No, but any cleverly told “the good ole days are a myth” narrative feels like a breath of fresh air on the film front.

Which is why Ska Brewing’s Rue B. Soho makes for an ideal beer pairing.

Grapefruit beers are nothing new by this point in time, but a grapefruit Lager is something else. Setting itself apart from the juicier IPA versions and sweeter grapefruit Radlers and Hefeweizens out there, Rue B. Soho looks and feels like a light, refreshing Lager. It actually looks like pretty much the classic pub ale you’d find at any London (or American) bar back in the ’60s. But don’t be fooled — take a deep sip, and this one brims with surprising complexity.

Enticing aromas of sunny, almost lemony citrus waft in upfront, which seems to make the grapefruit on the palate extra invigorating. In addition to brewing with real grapefruit, Colorado’s Ska Brewing used cascade hops for twists and turns of pine and additional tropical fruit if you let the beer linger on the tongue. There’s some delightful carbonation and light acidity here too, but it’s all very well balanced.

The name doesn’t hurt either of course. But what really makes Rue B. Soho a great side to Last Night in Soho is the fact that it’s so darn refreshing. As dark as things may get onscreen, the whole experience is still a nice departure from the usual stuff.

*Bonus Beers from the UK!*

You may not notice through the movie’s twists and turns, but England has a thriving beer scene all its own. If you’re in London anytime soon, pop into one of Soho’s many amazing pubs for a pint!

• Sussex Best / English Bitter / 4% ABV / Harvey’s Brewery – Lewes, East Sussex England
• Runner / English Bitter / 4% ABV / Truman’s Brewery – London, England
• Solaris / American Pale Ale / 3.8% ABV / Big Smoke Brew Co. – Esher, Surrey England
• Nicholson’s Pale Ale / English Pale Ale / 4% ABV / St. Austell Brewery – St. Austell, Cornwall England
• Punk AF / Non-Alcoholic Ale / 0.5% ABV / BrewDog – Ellon, Aberdeenshire Scotland (Served in pubs around London)