On March 21, we ran a post congratulating Mississippi grass-roots organization Raise Your Pints on their successful multi-year effort to make homebrewing legal in their state, leaving Alabama as the only state left prohibiting it.

Today, the Governor of Alabama signed legislation legalizing homebrewing in Alabama, also the result of a grassroots efforts of “regular, every-day Alabama citizens.” Alabama’s law allows each person (so long as you’re 21, not convicted of a felony, and not living in a “dry municipality”) to brew up to 15 gallons in each quarter of a calendar year (60 gallons per year, if you’re math challenged).  However, no more than 15 gallons can be stored at any residence at any one time.  Those are lower production amounts than many other states (including Montana) but most people I know don’t come close to the maximum anyway. I haven’t seen the “convicted of a felony” part before, but can’t say I’ve checked too many other state’s laws, either.

In an interesting twist, Alabama homebrewers can actually legally brew beer before Mississippi’s residents.  Alabama’s law takes effect immediately.  Mississippi’s law takes effect on July 1, 2013. (I originally titled this post Mississippi Becomes 50th State to Legalize Homebrewing, but my attempt at some tricky humor wasn’t working.)