For awhile, Alabama and Mississippi were the only states in the nation that made it illegal to brew beer and wine at home.

For a while. Recently, Mississippi legalized homebrewing, so now Alabama is the only state in the country that makes homebrewing illegal. Bigtime illegal, too. It's a felony to homebrew in Alabama.

That's ridiculous. The Legislature has a chance to change that, and it should. A bill up for debate today, HB9, will allow those 21 and older to make up to 60 gallons of beer, wine, mead or cider each year for personal use. Of course, people in dry counties or cities wouldn't be allowed to homebrew.

Many people who practice the craft had no idea it is a felony offense. While it's true that law enforcement doesn't make cracking down on homebrewers any kind of priority, the risk still is there.

The bill passed the House last year but died in the Senate. What we don't need to see is this get caught up in the typical logjam that clogs the Legislature at the end of every session.

Legalizing homebrewing is not that controversial. Yeah, there are those groups that oppose anything alcohol, but they don't have a whole lot of clout.

Let's give people who brew small amounts of beer at home the right to do so. There's really no good reason not to.

This is something we can talk about today at 1 p.m. during the weekly live chat.

Joey Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize-winner, is a community engagement specialist for AL.com and The Birmingham News. Reach him at jkennedy@al.com.