We should start with the well-known owners, Jennifer and Mike Todryk. Jennifer has a huge following as The Rambling Redhead on Instagram and is the star of her own HGTV show No Demo Reno where she renovates houses in the North Texas area. Mike is also Instagram-famous as the funny husband of Jennifer, and now he is even better known locally as the owner of both Armor Coffee in the Villages at Allen and the newly opened Armor Brewing.
The brewery that previously occupied the space had its own bit of publicity due to its inauspicious and sudden closing a few years back. We could go into details, but really ... we are here to talk about the beer.
Armor Brewing resides at 9 Prestige Circle in Allen, just north of Bethany Drive on the east side of Highway 75 and set a bit back from the road. If not for the fame (and infamy) of its creation, you might not ever know it's there. The brewery has a striking appearance; namely, a giant brew tank in front emblazoned with the Armor Brewing logo.
Large brew tanks can be seen through big windows, and a City of Allen water tower looms in the background. A nice patio is strung with lights, and there are plenty of televisions to watch sports, plus a stage for live music. Games are scattered around a grassy area near the patio. The interior is spacious with high ceilings and a giant, rustic chandelier over the bar.
The beer menu is diverse and changing, so we jumped right in with a couple of flights ($15 each) to see what we liked. The Gary is a golden ale with a little hop kick, light (4.8% ABV) and easy for those who like hops but don’t want to be tortured by them.
Four IPAs are offered, all with different styles, including a low-calorie version. We don’t really count calories while beer drinking so we skipped that one, but did enjoy the Javelin American IPA. The Redemption Red had a beautiful, deep color and was quite tasty; the Smooky is the red brewed with pumpkin spices.
We don’t blame Armor for this one. We live in a pumpkin-spiced world but everything can’t be pumpkin. And it doesn’t work in beer. We know this but yet we ordered it anyway, proving that we are, indeed, part of the problem. One seasonal trend in beer that does work is the Marzen, and Armor's Danke is a great one. Malty and smooth, it hit the mark. And by calling it a Marzen instead of an Oktoberfest, it can be served year-round, which we hope happens.
Most breweries are lacking in food but Armor is definitely an exception. The menu is aggressive and diverse. We tried the pulled pork nachos ($16), which are a work of art. We could taste the smokiness of the pork. The house crema, white queso and corn salsa all coalesce to make it a hit. This appetizer is shareable with enough food for three or four people.
Next up was the Korean-Fried Chicken sandwich with a spicy Gochujang crunchy kimchi slaw. All of it was held together perfectly with a King's Hawaiian bun. Order extra napkins and dive in on this one. We opted to upgrade the fries to cheddar jalapeno hushpuppies, which turned out to be a delicious decision.
For our next trip (there will be many), we have our eyes on the Italian beef sandwich and the smoked fried wings. Maybe we will go back tonight. In our shackets! (Jenn is actually hilarious — see below.)
Armor Brewing, 9 Prestige Circle, Allen. Monday –Thursday, 11 a.m – 10 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. – midnight; Saturday, 10 a.m. – midnight; Sunday, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
