Entry No. 14 — the Grand Junction file — filed under: speakeasy
Phelanies
“Their names smashed together like a bootlegger alias.”
Phil and Melanie Freismuth ran Horsefly Brewing for a decade before opening this place across the street in 2018 — Phelanies, their names smashed together like a bootlegger alias. The real door is in the alley behind the pawnshop: ring the bell, a hatch in the locked door slides open, and someone asks for the password, which rotates and hides on their Facebook page. Inside it is dim and quiet — servers in 1920s dress, house-made syrups in top-shelf cocktails, and a fedora or flapper headband pressed into your hands.
The story
Phil and Melanie Freismuth spent a decade running Horsefly Brewing across the street before deciding Montrose needed a place to hide out. In 2018, they took a low-slung space at 19 South Junction Avenue—smashed their two names together into a bootlegger alias—and opened Phelanies. Instead of putting up a neon sign on Junction, they built a speakeasy complete with Prohibition-style theatrics.
Getting inside requires following a exact script: you bypass the street front entirely and slip into the alley behind the pawnshop near Main and Junction. You press the bell on a heavy locked door, wait for a wooden hatch to slide open, and whisper a password through the opening. The code rotates constantly and gets buried on their Facebook page, though if you show up unprepared, the staff at Horsefly across the street share ownership and will usually hand over the secret.
Inside, the room is dim, quiet, and intentionally cut off from the High Desert outside. Servers work the floor in 1920s dress, top-shelf cocktails are stirred with house-made syrups, and arriving guests are handed a fedora or flapper headband at the door. Mid-2026 saw the room pivot its theme toward a 'Tipsy Tiki' concept, but the core hook remains unchanged: an unmarked alley door, a sliding hatch, and drinks hidden behind a pawnshop.
What it's like
Drive down to Montrose—it sits an hour south of Grand Junction—and pull up near Main and Junction Avenue. Skip the street-facing building and walk directly into the alley behind the pawnshop. Ring the bell on the locked door and wait for the hatch to slide back. Have the rotating password pulled up on your phone from their Facebook page before you lose cell service in the alleyway; if you get caught empty-handed, walk across the street to Horsefly Brewing and ask the bartender for help. Expect a dark, low-key atmosphere, vintage dress-up gear pressed into your hands, and serious house-made syrups in every glass.
The move: Dig the current password out of their Facebook page on the drive down, then ring the alley bell behind the pawnshop and whisper it through the hatch together.
📍 Before you go Skip the Junction Avenue storefront — the entrance is the locked door in the alley behind the pawnshop near Main and Junction, with a bell and a hatch where you give the rotating password from their website or Facebook. If you forgot to look it up, ask at Horsefly Brewing across the street; the same couple owns both. It is an evenings-only room that goes dark early in the week, and Montrose sits a good hour-plus south of Grand Junction, so pair it with dinner on Main Street rather than driving over on a whim.
- 📍 Montrose
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 19 S Junction Ave, Montrose, CO 81401
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Star Drive-In Theatre — Follow up dark alley cocktails with a double feature under the night sky at Montrose's family-run 1950 drive-in.
- Museum of the Mountain West — Explore 28 relocated frontier buildings filled with authentic regional relics before heading downtown for a nightcap.
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - Night Sky Programs & AstroFest — Trade a dark, hidden room for the pitch-black skies above one of Colorado's deepest national park chasms.
Good to know
Where is the real entrance?
It is not on the street. Look for the unmarked, locked door in the alley behind the pawnshop near the corner of Main Street and Junction Avenue.
How do I get the password?
Check their Facebook page or official website before heading down the alley. If you forget to look it up, walk across to Horsefly Brewing at Main and Junction; the same owners run both spots, and the staff can give you the current code.
How far is this from Grand Junction?
Montrose is roughly a 60-to-70-minute drive south of Grand Junction along US-50, so make an evening of it by combining drinks with dinner on Main Street.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · westerncolorado.beaconseniornews.com · montrosebusinesstimes.com · colorado.com · gjsentinel.com
last checked: 2026-06-11