We’re teaming up with In Sheep’s Clothing HiFi again, this time to bring you an exclusive advance listen to Haruomi Hosono’s new album “Yours Sincerely”. We’ll play the new record in full on our hifi system during our normal dinner service on Thursday, September 10th in the 7 o’clock hour. Reservations for the evening are available via RESY now.

Some words on the record from Hosono:
“It started with a simple question: how do you express the Japanese ideas of omoiyari（思い遣り), jihi（慈悲）or boseiai (GE) in English? I searched, but no word felt quite right. Each came close, yet carried a slightly different nuance. Perhaps the nearest was ‘compassion.’ It is often translated as ‘omoiyari’ in Japanese, but its original meaning is ‘to suffer together! It tends to carry a sense of sympathy or pity-something that feels distinct from the Japanese sense of omoiyari. In Japanese, omoiyari also includes the feeling of ‘rejoicing together!’ In that sense, it may even seem like the opposite. The perspective, the emotional angle-subtly but fundamentally different. For that reason, I chose not to use ‘compassion! Instead, I turned to a more familiar word often used to close a letter: ‘Sincerely!”

Mark Lindzy is coming to Small Hours!

We're spending the evening with our friend Mark and a selection of wines from José Pastor Selections. José Pastor has been one of the importers we've loved following for years, with a portfolio full of growers and wines that we genuinely love drinking.

We'll have José Pastor wines by the glass throughout the evening, a special flight for anyone who wants to explore a little further, and we'll be highlighting our tinned fish to go along with them.

Mostly, we're just excited to have Mark here. Come have a glass, eat some fish, talk about wine, or just hang out with us.

The Loire: A Region in Motion

We’ve previously spent time getting to know the Loire Valley with an in-depth series covering every corner of this wild river valley. This time, we’re looking at it a little differently.

Why does one part of the Loire make Sauvignon Blanc while another is devoted to Chenin Blanc? How is it able to produce every style of wine from sparkling, to sweet and everything in between? We’ll taste across the region to explore how grape varieties became associated with particular places, how producers are pushing against, or redefining, those traditions, and how a changing climate is beginning to reshape the wines of this famously cool-climate region.

This is a class about the Loire as it exists now: diverse, in many ways intimate, and evolving.

We’ll taste a selection of wines from across the Loire while talking about:

• Why particular grape varieties thrive in different parts of the region

• How producers influence the way we understand a place

• The tension between tradition and experimentation

• How climate change is affecting ripening, acidity, harvest dates, and wine style

• Where the Loire might be headed next

Wine School includes a flight of four wines and snacks from our kitchen. Price is inclusive of tax.

We're very excited to team up with In Sheep’s Clothing Hifi to present an exclusive advanced listen to Sylvan Esso's new album “Ow ∞.” We'll play the new album front to back on our hifi system in the bar during our regular Thursday evening dinner service. Reservations are available via RESY.

Written across four years in the woods in Chapel Hill, the longest the band has ever spent writing a record, Ow ∞ (pronounced "Ow Infinity") arrives with an intense immediacy. Across their life as a band Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn have made songs from a tightrope, a central tension at the core of their songwriting from which everything else spiraled, a push-and-pull of the physical and existential, a dance floor to a dark corner, cerebral and instinctual - and here, finally, unleashed into something that is free.

Riesling remains the lens through which many people first encounter the Finger Lakes, and for good reason. We'll spend time with the grape and the producers who have helped define the region's reputation, while also exploring other wines that help tell the larger story of New York wine today.

Particular attention will be paid to the lakes themselves and the growing conditions that make this one of North America's most distinctive cool-climate regions. As a special treat, we will taste a personal cuvée created during a blending seminar to see if we can identify qualities such as acid and sugar levels in a blind wine.

Wine School includes a flight of four wines and snacks from our kitchen. Price is inclusive of tax.

Riesling remains the lens through which many people first encounter the Finger Lakes, and for good reason. We'll spend time with the grape and the producers who have helped define the region's reputation, while also exploring other wines that help tell the larger story of New York wine today.

Particular attention will be paid to the lakes themselves and the growing conditions that make this one of North America's most distinctive cool-climate regions. As a special treat, we will taste a personal cuvée created during a blending seminar to see if we can identify qualities such as acid and sugar levels in a blind wine.

Wine School includes a flight of four wines and snacks from our kitchen. Price is inclusive of tax.

Pinot Noir will be at the center of our discussion, as it is at the center of Oregon's modern wine identity, but the class will also look beyond the state's flagship grape to better understand the broader context of Oregon wine. Along the way we'll discuss producer styles, climate, and the influence of the Willamette Valley's famously varied soils.

Wine School includes a flight of four wines and snacks from our kitchen. Price is inclusive of tax.

Aidan Dillon is a multi-disciplinary artist living in Minneapolis with a background in urban planning and design. Aidan’s primary medium is large scale paintings that are influenced by his former studies, including using current and historic Sanborn maps and aerial photography. His other mediums include furniture, graphic design, and co-hosting nom supper club.

Aidan’s passion for music began at a young age with his involvement in local DIY scenes, including playing for Chicago indie sweethearts Friko. He has since been an avid collector of LPs, tapes, and CDs.

Pinot Noir will be at the center of our discussion, as it is at the center of Oregon's modern wine identity, but the class will also look beyond the state's flagship grape to better understand the broader context of Oregon wine. Along the way we'll discuss producer styles, climate, and the influence of the Willamette Valley's famously varied soils.

Wine School includes a flight of four wines and snacks from our kitchen. Price is inclusive of tax.

Join us Thursday, July 16, from 5–8 PM as we welcome Brie Conway of BŌKEN for their Minnesota launch with our friends at Bourget.

BŌKEN partners with small, independent Japanese breweries, helping exceptional sake makers reach a wider audience while preserving craftsmanship and regional style. We'll be pouring four exceptional sakes by the glass, as well as a curated flight.

Three of the featured sakes come from Hiraizumi Honpo in Akita, where they're brewed using the traditional Yamahai method. We'll also be pouring BŌKEN Ringo, crafted by Takagi Shuzo in Kochi Prefecture. Takagi was one of the pioneering breweries to adopt the now-renowned Cel-24 yeast, creating a sake with vibrant apple aromatics made with resilient local rice varieties unique to Kochi's climate.

Whether you're new to sake or a longtime enthusiast, this is a unique opportunity to meet Brie Conway, learn the stories behind these breweries, and experience four distinct sakes from producers you don't often see outside Japan.

Thursday, July 16 • 5–8 PM

No tickets, walk-ins welcomed, reservations available for those who like to plan ahead!

Two years ago, we started pre-ordering way too much rose in the fall. Last year, we decided to make a party out of it. So here we are for our second annual Dog Party.

The cooler is officially bursting, and we're running out of places to put this 3L.

Swing by for $5 dogs, a great lineup of rosé by the glass poured from magnum and jeroboam, and a steady stream of Springsteen from 5-10 p.m. both days.

We'll be closed for the 4th, so we're getting it in where we can.

Two years ago, we started pre-ordering way too much rose in the fall. Last year, we decided to make a party out of it. So here we are for our second annual Dog Party.

The cooler is officially bursting, and we're running out of places to put this 3L.

Swing by for $5 dogs, a great lineup of rosé by the glass poured from magnum and jeroboam, and a steady stream of Springsteen from 5-10 p.m. both days.

We'll be closed for the 4th, so we're getting it in where we can.

Campania, on Italy’s southern coast near Naples, offers a different perspective, with sun, proximity to the sea, and a deep history reflected in its native grape varieties.

You may not recognize as many of the names here, but the wines are some of Italy’s most distinctive. We’ll taste four examples that highlight the region’s native grapes like Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico, and talk about how volcanic soils (thanks to nearby Mount Vesuvius) and coastal influences shape their character.

If Piedmont is about precision and form, Campania opens the door to something more relaxed and expressive, shaped by a rich cultural history.

Campania, on Italy’s southern coast near Naples, offers a different perspective, with sun, proximity to the sea, and a deep history reflected in its native grape varieties.

You may not recognize as many of the names here, but the wines are some of Italy’s most distinctive. We’ll taste four examples that highlight the region’s native grapes like Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico, and talk about how volcanic soils (thanks to nearby Mount Vesuvius) and coastal influences shape their character.

If Piedmont is about precision and form, Campania opens the door to something more relaxed and expressive, shaped by a rich cultural history.

Campania, on Italy’s southern coast near Naples, offers a different perspective, with sun, proximity to the sea, and a deep history reflected in its native grape varieties.

You may not recognize as many of the names here, but the wines are some of Italy’s most distinctive. We’ll taste four examples that highlight the region’s native grapes like Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico, and talk about how volcanic soils (thanks to nearby Mount Vesuvius) and coastal influences shape their character.

If Piedmont is about precision and form, Campania opens the door to something more relaxed and expressive, shaped by a rich cultural history.

Located in the Van Duzer Corridor AVA, Johan Vineyards was started by Dag Johan Sundy who originally hails from Norway. He first came to Oregon for an internship in 2004 to learn about the Oregon wine industry, and moved there with his wife in 2008. The vineyards started mostly as a grafting program which would be instrumental in identity of the estate in the coming years and their exploration of varieties not commonly planted in the Willamette Valley.

Fast forward to 2015 when now head winemaker Morgan Beck began working at Johan (she later became the head winemaker in 2018 and general manager of all operations in 2020). With deep understanding of the vineyards themselves, as well as having a vision and commitment to the estate, she and vineyard manager Nathan Wood have since converted to a fully biodynamic and Demeter-certified estate. All fermentations are with native yeast, and they strive to minimize the use of new French oak.

As an added and important feature of the wines, the labels are all original paintings by local artist Yong Hong Zhong made in collaboration with Morgan to capture a moment in time or distinct phenomenon in the vineyards, and by extension reflecting what is inside the bottle.

Join us in welcoming Kyle Hall in introducing these special wines to Minnesota with a dedicated by the glass takepver and featured flight. Kyle will be joing us from 5-8, wines will be poured all night.

Campania, on Italy’s southern coast near Naples, offers a different perspective, with sun, proximity to the sea, and a deep history reflected in its native grape varieties.

You may not recognize as many of the names here, but the wines are some of Italy’s most distinctive. We’ll taste four examples that highlight the region’s native grapes like Fiano, Greco, and Aglianico, and talk about how volcanic soils (thanks to nearby Mount Vesuvius) and coastal influences shape their character.

If Piedmont is about precision and form, Campania opens the door to something more relaxed and expressive, shaped by a rich cultural history.

Lily Belle is a Minneapolis-based musician, member of the local band Seven Pines, and a restless creative driven by sound and connection. Raised on everything from roots rock and bluegrass to bossa nova and funk, she weaves genres together naturally, inviting love and inspiration into the room through music.  At Small Hours you’ll hear a collection of female-fronted folk, jazz, and French pop, plus plenty of soul and R&B in the mix.

On May 14th, Small Hours welcomes Haus Alpenz for an evening dedicated to vermouth and café culture in the style of a vermutería or bar à apéritifs.

Vermouth has always been part of the rhythm here, poured simply over ice, lengthened with soda, or folded into classic low-proof cocktails. For one night, we’re giving those traditions a little more attention.

Founded by spirits importer and writer Eric Seed, Haus Alpenz is known for bringing distinctive European aperitifs, alpine liqueurs, vermouths, and heritage spirits to American bars and restaurants. These are bottles that helped shape the modern cocktail revival and continue to define aperitif culture today.

A special menu of apéritif fare will be available all night alongside vermouth cocktails and features from the Haus Alpenz portfolio poured by dear friend, and Alpenz midwest sales manager Karina Roe.

14 Mai · Toute la soirée