The Hop Shop

Ed Cox is more than qualified to bring the best of the craft beer world to Frankston. Formerly a brewer at Moorabbin’s 2 Brothers Brewery, he’s swapped bright tanks for beer taps at his hybrid bar and bottle shop, which feels more like a versatile inner-city pub than anything else.

Cox has curated a list of 18 taps that rotate between familiar, mainly independent names such Banks, Exit and Dainton breweries. Styles always vary, but you can usually expect a good selection of new-wave lagers, IPAs and interesting sours. You can order everything from pints down to 200ml wine glass serves for limited edition and high alcohol brews.

The beauty of the blended bottle shop-and-bar is that everything you see in the fridge is usually available to either drink in or takeaway. That’s true of every one of the 200 packaged beers stocked here. You’ll also find a good selection of wine and spirits, focusing on Mornington Peninsula producers.

It’s not all about the booze, though. Mordialloc eatery, Bang Bang, have a permanent pop-up here, serving hawker-style snacks as sticky beef short rib bao, crispy Sichuan-style eggplant, dumplings and more.