CJ's Doghouse Bottle Shop & Growler Shop

Stopped in here for an Imprint Brewing event that was being hosted upstairs. We were greeted immediately upon entry, and offered beers that were available on tap. The place filled up rather quickly, so the seating that was there wasn't there for very long. The service was good, they got us flights rather quickly. The selection was on point too. I liked the place, wouldn't mind stopping in some day in the future if I'm in the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been to this place several times since it opened last fall. I was pretty excited to have bottle shop locally. However, I have felt very underwhelmed by this place and often find myself purchasing bottles at Wegman's instead.
The location works. Its a little ways out of "town" but close to the turnpike and shares a lot with a distributor and Pudge's which is a pretty good cheesesteak joint , so take the good with the bad.

Atmosphere...Inside you have several cocktail tables, which is cool because you can grab a draft beer or a bottle and have a hotdog. I have not par-took in anything other than mixing a 6 pack to go. Its a nice atmosphere. Bright, clean and welcoming. There is always a dog in the store. Not sure how I feel about this. I love my dog and would bring him to work too if I could, but something about a large animal in a store that serves food...I don't know...

Quality...this one of the issues I have with this place. I have purchased numerous bottles from this CJ's and its pretty much guaranteed that at least one beer in every 6 pack I make is bad (past the Best Before date). This isn't a big deal to some people, but personally I am completely turned off from a beer when I examine the bottle and begin pouring and find sediment floating everywhere. Maybe I should be checking out the dates before I make my selection, maybe the store should keep an eye on them and pull them off the shelf. Beer is a consumed product...my grocery store doesn't leave old mayonnaise on the shelf for me to buy.
...by the way I have never come a across an expired beer at Wegman's...

Service...my other issue. As I said before...I have been here several times. Every time I walk in the female staff member (owner?) is right there and never a "hello" or a "can I help you find something." The only time she speaks is when she tells me my total at the register. I don't need someone hounding me and asking if I need help every 5 minutes, but at least acknowledge I'm there.

Selection...this is pretty good. Several coolers worth of singles and a few shelves with some higher end 750mLs and bombers. One of the positives here is the selection is always changing. I like to think I have a fairly good knowledge of beer and what's out there, but there is always a ton of stuff here that I have never heard of. They also have several taps where you purchase a draft, fill a growler or order a flight.

Food...haven't had any. but they have hotdogs and maybe soft pretzels. not a place to sit and have dinner, but seems like it would be a cool place to grab a beer and quick bite after work.

Value...At first I thought this place was expensive. Bottles are sold individually and there is no set price for a 6 pack. At Weg's you can mix a 6 pack for $12 and here I think the cheapest I've bought was $16. But take into consideration that the beer at CJ's is much more obscure and hard to find. And compared to some other bottle shops in the Philly area this place is actually pretty reasonable.

I dun bought some beer here a few times. I felt ike they had some VERY reasonable prices on some stuff.

They also had a few beers i can't find elsewhere. Oskar Blues Gubna and southern tier imperial common, and a few others. I can't speak to bottle dates. Gubna coulda been old, or maybe it just wasn't my thing.

Girl that works there all the time seems to know her stuff. It is cool that you can sit there and have beer they have on tap, but out of say maybe a dozen drafts, most of the stuff i hadn't heard of, not to say it was some schwag, but it wasn't anything tha ispired me to get a pint. So i can't speak to draft prices.

The selecion was good, but there were a few conspicuously absent brands...like sierra nevada.
But they make up for that in offerings that you don't see much in stores that stock the same breweries (oskar blues for example)

i tried a chicago style hot dog. They don't have no poppy seed buns, but they piled the ingredients on pretty good. but all the peppers and stuff were cold. I'm not an expert on Chi Town style dogs, but I'd have to assume that the peppers are either warmed or pickled, and here they were just raw. Spilt them all over my lap too.

I guess they kinda don't take the hot dogs as seriously as the beer but the place is a nice addtion to the local scene. It beats the piss out of blue dog for bottle selection. Pizza Pub might have a few better beers available in bottle, that i don't see here, but here you aren't locked into a 4pk/6pk and ppl to seem to enjoy it. Plus, I admit, I have high standards for bottle shops. Anything that falls short of what i would try to have myself as far as a bottle shop automatically gets docked a star.

They have a dog layin around inside, which is cool. He dont pay you no mind, but it's a nice touch.

It's right off the turnpike for you sorry bastards that have a commute. Place had all the tables packed on friday night. Girls too.

Overall, I'm happy it's here, as long as they keep the prices good.

I stopped by here after getting wind of this year’s BCBS being in stock. The place is right off the Lansdale exit of 476, so it’s pretty easy to get to. Pretty nice selection; they had some stuff I hadn’t seen around in a while or at all. The BCBS ended up being way too high ($11/bottle from what I recall) but they had it on draft so I got a couple cups for my girlfriend and myself. We also got a couple hot dogs and paid for our food and beers (draft as well as bottle) at the same time. The place had several tables so we sat and enjoyed our food and beer for a bit. Their growler fillers are the type that purge with CO2 and seal while filling, which was pretty cool.

I appreciated being able to find some stuff from a couple years back (2010 Alesmith Decadence as well as Victory Otto in Oak). However, the prices for the more in demand selections were way too high for me (BCBS as well as a certain New England DIPA). I checked my receipt later and saw I had paid $18 for two 6 oz pours! Ouch. Shame on me for not inquiring beforehand. The staff I encountered seems fairly knowledgeable and polite so if you’re looking for something in particular you won’t get a blank stare in return. I appreciate that they update their list on beermenus, since I don’t live right around the corner. However, I most likely won’t bother to stop in if I’m looking for something in demand as they seem to know what it is and price it too high. For the rest of the stuff it might be worth it depending on what it is you’re looking for.

Price gouge central. It's ridiculous. Plus the employees are rude. I've pretty much boycotted this place.

Love their selections on tap and that you can grab a bottle and get a hot dog and hang out. Great bottle selection-plenty of beers I haven't heard of and can't wait to try. They're quickly going to need more staff especially if it stays as busy as it was Friday. Pretty sure someone was pouring his own beer from the taps. Only complaint is it seems that every weekend they've had groups of kids collecting money in the parking lot. Seems like a potential liability. I'm afraid someone is going to get hit. Otherwise its the best thing to happen to the area in a long time.

Stopped by after work on a Friday to see what cases they had @ Towamencin Beverage. Great place, great people---check it out.
>http://www.towamencinbeverage.com/

So a buddy of mine mentioned they were going to sell bottles also and not just cases.
NO WAY!
YES WAY!

So, the sign was not up yet as this was the first day or 2 of their Grand Opening. There is a light to get into the parking lot. Lots of spaces, but much less now that CJ's is open. The inside is open, airy, nice décor, scattered tables and cases and racks of bottles cover half of the rather large room. The one side has growlers to purchase and a growler fill station that look ubber new and high tech. You can also choose fresh drafts from the kegs. Final wall has a large counter for check out and the food prep section for their gourmet hot dogs.

Crystal (owner) has been there the 5 times I've randomly stopped in and she knows her beer. She drinks and knows her stouts so that is 2 thumbs up in my book. She has hired a few part time people and all of them have been cool, friendly, knowledgeable and easy going.

Great selection and updates via the web, facebok, etc. So get there early and often. It's worth it to check out and is so close to the NE Ext TP exit that there is no excuse.

A real gem in the Lansdale/Towamencin area !!!

Towamencin Beverage expanded their operation to provide customers an opportunity to purchase single bottles, growlers, or just to sit and sample a flight of beers from their twelve taps. With a restaurant license they are able to offer food, which I believe they are just starting with hot dogs, but I was more interested in the beers.

They claim over 300 beers in the bottle shop, most in coolers, with some just on shelves. As mentioned, they have twelve taps which they can sell pints or a flight for your enjoyment. Their growler filling station evacuates the growler of air and seals the growler to allow your growler to stay fresh for up to a month. Their only request is that you bring them a clean growler.

The staff are very helpful and knowledgable about the beers and their operation. A bonus to the location is the distributor next door, so if you want a case, it is right there. The distributor also has a wide selection of cigars. Also, in the same building is Pudge's Cheesesteaks, probably one of the top 10 cheesesteak locations in the Philadelphia area.

The location is about a half mile down Sumneytown Pike from the Lansdale interchange of the Northeast Extension (Route 476) of the Pa. Turnpike. I would highly recommend any beer geek to check out this location if you are in the area or are just passing through.

Stopped by here to check it out the new place and pick up a six pack of beer to go. They've only be open for a few weeks. I'm assuming this place is run by the same people as Towamencin Beverage next door, as the familiar big friendly dog was laying just inside the doorway.

Not a huge place, but they've made the most of the space. There are tables to sit and eat in the middle of the space, with the food counter/register at one end. The one long wall is where the taps are for the growler fills, and the other side is wall to wall cooler doors, filled will single bottles to go - 12 oz to 22 oz or 750mL. There are also a few sets of shelves of non-chilled beer, mostly special releases. All of the prices are clearly marked on each bottle, and prices are reasonable for to-go beer in PA.

Great selection, lots of quality beer both American craft beer and imports. The beers in the cooler are arranged by style, which is very nice. Empty six pack holders are available for you to load up.

They have a whole menu of different kinds of hot dogs and I think some other snack food, but I didn't eat anything.