Inspiring Conversations with Dani Skinner of Ale Yak Food & Beer Garden

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani Skinner

Hi Dani, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I first moved to the Leadville area in 2012, at the age of 19.
I’ve seen the valley begin to change rather rapidly. I’ve felt the wants and needs of the community. I began to think about how when I travel, that I seek out beer gardens and food truck courts. This made me think about how valuable a space like this would be for our small community.

I have been a wildland firefighter for the previous 5 summers. While I love fire fighting, I was looking to be home more in the summers. This is how the idea for Ale Yak was born. I wanted to create an outdoor beer garden and food truck space in Leadville. This would allow me to continue working outside, while being home and creating a community gathering space.

I began seeking out properties that this would be possible at, which is how I found our current space. We are located at the northern end of Leadville, off of Highway 24. Ale Yak has expansive views of Turquoise Lake and the surrounding mountains.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s been pretty challenging. One of the largest struggles was that this land was completely undeveloped. That meant that I was not only responsible for creating the entire business, but making the land usable. I hired an excavator, who helped me to smooth out the property and add road base and gravel.

I also worked with Excel Energy to bring in new power to the property, which was a bit complex due to the nature of my business. You see, although there are similar businesses, the logistics of being completely outdoors put me as a unique situation that most of the people I was working with hadn’t seen before. This added quite a bit of time & back and forth communications that otherwise may have not been necessary.

I also had to work with CDOT to gain access/ an entrance way to the highway. This sounds simple, “pave an apron,” but the reality of that process was incredibly complicated. I had to hire multiple engineers, go through many processes of review, hire a road crew to close one of the highway lanes during the project, and a construction crew to fulfill the specified details of the permit. This ended up being very expensive and one of the most stressful parts of opening the business. If we couldn’t get the entrance permit, then people could not get access to my business’s location. It all ended up working out, thank goodness!

There were many other hurdles including pulling a liquor license, food retail license, temporary use permits, and lots of other tasks.

Luckily the people working within all of the presiding bureaucracies were doing their best to help me along the way.

We’ve been impressed with Ale Yak Food & Beer Garden, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a casual outdoor dining space and beer garden. We have a great variety of beer, as well as wine, cocktails, ciders, seltzers, and plenty of non-alcoholic options. We host local and traveling food trucks. We have lots of outdoor games for friends and families to play, including board games, 4 sets of cornhole and plastic axe throwing. We have one of the most beautiful and unique views in Leadville, a wide open view of Turquoise Lake and the surrounding mountains. We have a lovely aspen grove that guests can sit under, as well as tons of eclectic seating in the sunshine. We host live music every Tuesday and many Saturdays throughout the summer season. We also partner with the local Yoga studio, Blue Earth, to host Yoga and Qi Gong on Saturdays and Sundays.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see food truck courts becoming more and more popular, as well as beer gardens. They create a gathering space for the community and a really cool place for folks to come who are just passing through. They also create an affordable and casual space to support many small businesses.

Pricing:

• 16 ounce draft beer $7-$9 including tax & fees
• 16 ounce ciders, seltzers, hard teas $7-$9 including tax & fees
• Wine & Mead $8 including tax & fees
• Scanga Beef Hot Dog with Chips $12 including tax & fees
• Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Soft Pretzels $6 including tax & fees

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.Aleyak.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/aleyakleadville
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aleyak
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/ale-yak-leadville
• Other: Google maps Ale Yak Food & Beer Garden