Junkyard on 66 Brewery — Restaurant in Grants

I am not sure how this place managed to get a higher review score overall than the other brewery which is across the freeway but this places beer and service are inferior to that one. I tried to patronize this place, was even looking forward to it but after not complying to being told to move my bike (was parked near the fence-out of the way and no signs) was given very small samples of beer in a slightly larger than a thimble paper cup. Not only was it all foam but the server wanted to reuse the cup for all of the samples. Maybe patrons are expected to bring their own glasses to get a decent sample? Tasted poorly. Normally I wouldnt bother leaving a review when I didnt actually spend money but..after leaving this place I was followed to my next stop by a guy on one of the bagger harleys which had been parked by the door. It wasnt a coincidence as he sat watching me at Elkins for awhile from the highway. I love craft beer, not only just the taste but the movement itself. If every craft brewery were like this one I would give it up and switch back to drinking macro. Edit in response to owner's response below. Ah yes...Take the high road publicly and play your little low life games privately. BEWARE any place that treats some customers like I have described (I think the parking issue was the trigger) and then publicly gaslights the person when they describe their experience. They do not treat everyone the same. They could have said that if I did not comply with the parking demand, I wouldnt be served. But that would be forthright and not in keeping with their thuggery and duplicity. The paper "cup" in question was not 3 oz as they assert but was sacrament cup sized. Those who have ever attended church willingly or otherwise know what this size actually is.....dinky. MAYBE 1 oz at best. I understand frugality but this is the only establishment I have ever seen (Ive probably been to 200-300 different breweries) that serves samples on the cheap and expect patrons to wait for foam to turn into beer. Some foam is of course expected but all foam? As to needing help, I was able to take some pretty clear pictures of the person and bike that followed me in case they did something even more stupid than they already had. Be assured that if it had come to it, the professional help I potentially sought would be with law enforcement, not mental health as you blithely suggest. Lastly, believe it or not, I am happy to hear that your business is so successful.... but I worry, if what I saw was success, what would...

Man o man do I want to rate this place high. I just can't though. I'll start with the good, just as everybody else says, awesome motif and a great idea. The cars and parts are a great background and the music was good. I did like the beer as well... but.

It was just odd. I would put this off as we were greeted unexpectedly with the owner and staff demanding a mask... this threw me off a bit as we just can't from Texas, but I understand that they need to comply with state proclamations and they absolutely have the right on their own to require this. I could also take it as it was the bartenders first day, and it was evident that she was still learning (she did great by the way). But I just found the entire experience odd... we were forced to order before sitting down 15 feet away, I can assume this was due to the only menu being a white board below the server counter, but it was out of date and they were put off items listed. When we ordered I was asked what chips you want, but wasn't given any options. As we sat down at the bar, I personally didn't feel comfortable at all on the bar stools, and noticed the original tailgate tables, a nice touch but I found it super odd that they were the outside of the tailgates which are typically rounded. It made sense when thinking about the engineering. It's easier to make the tables with mounts that are flat, but that just looked up make it more difficult to hold food and drinks.

We ordered simple BBQ fare and it took longer than expected to get it.

The final bit was when we wanted to pay up, we were asked again to go to the front 15 minutes away to pay instead of paying at the bar. I just found it odd.

I can go on, but don't want this to be negative. These are just meant to be constructive criticisms. This place is very original and along route 66 I can absolutely see the charm. It just seemed to fall short for me. Maybe a second chance sometime will make the...

First, you have to ask yourself, what I am doing in Grants in the first place, roaming around and looking for a place to eat and a nice spot have a beer or cocktail. Next, you admit that you are an alien in a far out town and then you open your mind and heart to see what the Universe provides. In my case, Junkyard.

I've read the Covid-times reviews of Henry's place that reflect the wild difficulties affecting virtually every public enterprise, be it a retail store, a pub, a restaurant, or grocery store, and one experienced reviewer last year was gracious in his conscious awareness that much of the masking surprises he endured were New Mexico state-driven and the oddness of how he had to pay his bill at the front counter seemed stilted. The whole flippin world was like this then and he accepted this as part of his journey to The Junkyard. A good reviewer, he.

I have been a lot of places in my 71 years and still seek out original, one-of-a-kind venues, be it a hotel, bar, restaurant, or dance club. I've eaten sushi In Guadalajara (the Best) and Jerk Chicken in Negril, but my visit to Henry's fantastic creation added another wonder to my bucket list. The Junkyard is his baby and I can say no more. His Alien Stout and IPA are perfect, the brisket was spicy and marvelous, and best of all, the Mad Max sort of atmosphere, inside and outside, left nothing to desire.

By the way, how DID he learn to brew beer and come to have such an offbeat brewery? Why did he buy this old auto yard and have the vision to make it into The Junkyard? And who...