You Can Marry Your Cousin, But You Can’t Brew Your Own Beer

If you're in a state where can marry your cousin, but you can't brew your own beer at home, you must be in Alabama. For real folks, Alabama now stands out as the only state where home brewing is illegal. Alabamans don't just get slapped with a ticket if they start mixing up a batch. It's a felony. Alabama maintains a fervent temperance movement. It's been 80 years since Prohibition's demise, but there are 25 dry counties in the so-called "Heart of Dixie." Some teetotalers there wish the libations had never started flowing again. Some compare home brewing just as they do barbecue...But this isn't barbecue. People are killed on the highways. You hear all the time about people being killed under the influence of alcohol. You never hear about people getting killed by barbecue.Home-brewing advocates said the felony status scares away some and forces others into the shadows even though the chance of punishment looks slim. Bills to legalize home brewing sit in both houses of the Alabama legislature awaiting a vote. It's the third straight year legislators have proposed changes to the home brew law.

If passed, the bills would allow Alabamians to whip up limited quantities of intoxicating drinks like beer and wine. Liquor would remain off-limits.