Right in the center of Morganton is a gorgeous old courthouse built in 1835 and you know, no one wants to go to prison unless perhaps they're serving cold craft beer and hot patty melts.

Well, producer Clay Johnson and his videographer, Eric Olson, found an old state prison in Polk County where the inmates are now customers and they gladly turn themselves in.

[gentle upbeat music] - [Chris] This is the actual North Carolina State Prison building.

- [Narrator] This old prison is now Iron Key Brewing Company in Columbus.

- This is the area the prisoners were kept, two sections.

If you look down here, you can see where the bars were cut out of the floor, and if you look up, you see the orange and the holes in the beam, that's where the bars went into that beam.

We tried to keep everything original, original windows, 13-inch walls, original front door, original back door.

- [Narrator] Even the original iron key.

[door thudding] [door squeaking] - And this is solitary confinement.

There are two cells, they are separated.

This is one of the cells in solitary, and this is where the prisoners slept, if they decided to misbehave somewhat.

This was the original mess hall from when the prison was operating.

- [Narrator] Iron Key now uses it as an event center.

- There is a lot of work still to be done down here, but we will eventually get there.

- [Narrator] The prison opened in 1932 and operated until the late fifties.

Balliew and Brewer Dave Erb partnered with Bob Bundy of Tryon to purchase the property in 2019 and opened the brewery the following year.

- He took the steering wheel, and he just started driving.

And not only did Bob have a vision, he had the drive and he knew how to get there.

And just a very impressive man.

- Bundy's widow and the original partners are the team that runs the place.

- Everybody in the front of the house, we are together.

Everybody in the back of the house together, the ownership team, together.

It's all a teamwork concept.

It's not me, myself, I, it's we.

And I love that about this place.

- This is a sample of our hazy IPA, we call it Jailhouse Juicy.

- [Announcer] Erb calls Iron Keys beer American style with a German influence.

The brewery serves up 14 different beers with names like Big House IPA, Conjugal Cultch, and Lockup Lager.

- Everybody has a different flavor profile that they like and what we try to do is provide enough options that they can find something they like on our menu.

- [Narrator] Autumn McCormack is the lead brewer in a male-dominated profession.

- I get looks, you know, "Oh, you're the lead brewer here."

I'm like, "Yeah, you dang right I am."

- [Narrator] McCormack says, she's always seeking customer feedback.

- I tell people, you know, I want you to not only tell me what you like about the beer, but any kind of criticism that you may have about the beer, because I want to know what the general public likes.

- [Narrator] The food menu is pub style with favorites like the patty melt on sourdough with bacon and the blackened chicken sandwich.

- [Chris] I think we take it to a different level.

I really feel strongly about our food.

- [Narrator] At Iron Key, the servers are the guards.

- They've tried to get me a warden shirt and I'm like, look, you know, I wanna be a little more incognito than that.

[camera fluttering] - [Narrator] The customers are the inmates.

- This is so unique.

How many places can you go that says this used to be a state prison?

And all beers are named after something related to that.

[camera fluttering] - We like the place, we like the people here.

We have found so many new friends here.

- [Narrator] Iron Key Brewing Company is a prison people go to just to escape.

- [Chris] I want people come in, have a good time, drink some good beer, have some good food, go home happy?

- Iron Key Brewing Company is at 135 Locust Street in Columbus and they're open Wednesday through Sunday.

To view their menu, check them out online at ironkeybrewing.com or give them a call at [828] 802-1045.