Icebreaker – Friday February 21, 5:30-9:00 pm
Friday evening an icebreaker reception will be held at the 49th State Brewing Company in downtown Anchorage (717 W 3rd Ave) in the Heritage Theater. An assortment of appetizers will be provided, plus 1 free drink (beer, wine, pop, water). A cash bar for additional beverages will be available throughout the evening.
Group Dinner – Saturday February 22, 7:00-9:00 pm
Saturday evening we will have a group dinner at Charlou in midtown Anchorage (3300 Spenard Road). The menu will be simple but delicious and will accommodate any/all dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc.). Charlou is partnered with La Bodega (Anchorage’s high end beer-liquor shop), so their drink menu is particularly nice. It should also be fairly affordable by Anchorage standards, and everyone will be expected to pay their own way since there will be options and no set cost.
Enjoy Anchorage in the winter
February in Anchorage is dark (approximately 5 hours of daylight) and cold (average temperatures below freezing). We hope to have abundant snow as well, but that’s not always the case these days. The Friday evening icebreaker and Saturday night group dinner will be downtown, so there is a lot to see and do outside of the meeting, such as a walk (or ski) along the Coastal Trail. If you are able to spend a few days here before or after the workshop, the small local ski hills will be in full swing (Arctic Valley, Hillside), where you can downhill ski. Anchorage has more than 175 km of maintained cross-country ski trails that can be accessed from downtown or the APU campus. More than 40 km of these trails are lighted for cross-country skiing outside of the limited daylight hours. If you want to go farther afield, Girdwood and the Alyeska resort is about 40 miles south of town off the Seward Highway. Alyeska has the best downhill skiing in the state together with an extensive network of maintained cross-country ski trails. Exceptional backcountry skiing is also available right outside of town and to the north (Hatcher Pass) and south (Turnagain Pass). But be sure to check avalanche conditions before venturing into the backcountry.
Drink beer
Anchorage and the surrounding areas are home to an exceptional craft beer scene, with the best options located mostly in south Anchorage. We will have an assortment of Alaska’s finest beers at the Saturday evening poster reception, and Anchorage residents will gladly provide recommendations and/or accompany you for a beverage. State laws require that tasting rooms close by 8 pm, so that’s a bit inconvenient.
Anchorage highlights include Anchorage Brewing Co. (south Anchorage), King Street Brewing Co. (south Anchorage), Midnight Sun Brewing Co. (south Anchorage), Turnagain Brewing Co. (south Anchorage), 49th State Brewing Co. (downtown), Resolution Brewing Co. (east Anchorage). Downtown venues with the most expansive taps include Williwaw and Humpy’s Alehouse.
Restaurants that include in-house breweries paired with great food include Glacier Brewhouse (downtown), Moose’s Tooth (midtown), and Beartooth Grill (midtown).
