Yesterday, legislation legalizing homebrewing in the state of Mississippi became law, and marked the first time since before Prohibition that homebrewing is legal in all 50 states. This effectively puts an end to the “long national nightmare” and was the result of concerted efforts of homebrewing groups, dedicated politicians around the country, and organizations like the American Homebrewers Association.

According to the Brewers Association, “homebrewing was federally legalized in 1978 for the first time since Prohibition made it illegal in 1919. However, regulation of alcohol is predominantly left to the states.” Earlier this year, Alabama and Mississippi passed homebrewing bills–the last two states in the U.S. to do so. Alabama’s took effect when the governor signed it into law on May 9, and the Mississippi bill went into effect yesterday. So the nation’s homebrewers can now let out a collective sigh of relief and legally brew in every state in the country without fear of “the man” coming down on them.

Undoing these unfair and repressive laws, many of them remnants that have been around since the fall of Prohibition, has been a legislative process spanning years and thankfully, as of yesterday, much of the heavy lifting is finally done.

But the struggle’s not over just yet…and we at American Craft Beer won’t rest until it is!

Even with homebrewing now legal in all 50 states, an existing labyrinth of archaic statutes still exists in some states preventing homebrewers from removing their homebrewed beer from their houses (that’s no fun!). And these legislative caveats, as the Brewer’s Association so astutely notes, effectively restricts the homebrewer’s interactions with the rest of their local homebrew community, including club meetings, craft beer festivals, and homebrew competitions.

There is so much more that remains to be done, but we will remain vigilant, and expect these regional statues to eventually fall by the wayside and into the dustbin of history…Homebrewers are a passionate breed and this moment is not going away.

The Fourth of July is almost here and Americans everywhere will soon be celebrating our nation, its rich history and spirit, and our freedoms. And although it took a while to come to pass (as all things of real value do), there’s a new freedom that many will also be quietly celebrating…and they’ll be celebrating it with their own homebrewed beer!