Last fall, Spoonwood Brewing Company on Baptist Road claimed a place in the South Hills brewscape (not a word but should be), just 2.9 miles from the Mt. Lebanon line, not like anyone keeps track of stuff like that on the odometer.

Brewer Steve Ilnicki, formerly with Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery at the Waterfront, partnered with Grant and Mary Lou Scorsone to turn the old Duke’s Station into a marked-in-ink spot on a beer lover’s map, with at least eight house brews on tap, wine, mead and local spirits from Wigle and Boyd & Blair.

Spoonwood had the beer part down cold from the gate, and recently have been working on expanding the food menu. Any night, you can find a stellar selection of pizzas from the wood-fired oven, and other assorted bar munchies. In addition, this fall the pub is launching a couple of new ventures—Sunday brunch and food and food and beer pairing dinners.

The brunch menu includes pork belly sliders, prosciutto toast and shrimp and grits. A server-recommended summer squash frittata with Lancaster cheddar and pepper jack cheese, onion sprout home fries and a side of fried green tomatoes. Complemented with a mimosa, it is enough to make you forget all about beer. Also it was 11 in the morning, but that isn’t always a deal breaker when it comes to forgetting about beer.

Premiering Tuesday, September 29, is Spoonwood’s first beer and food pairing dinner. The six-course dinner, presented by Ilnicki and chef Jeffery Simpson, is $85, and limited to just 36 seats. View the first dinner menu here.

Spoonwood features live music, is planning a Septoberfest the week of September 23-27, and just last week held a fundraiser for the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department, donating $1 from each draft they sold, topping out at $500.