I got into it about 15 years ago... a couple of friends did it... I bought a 7 gallon plastic can with sealable lid and a hole for an airlock(it was a kit) I do not remember cost... I subed to Zymurgy magazine for a while and learned a lot...the first few batchs I made were with malt extract... comes in can's(like syrup) and corn sugar... you heat until it boils more or less(more complicated than that) then add yeast after it cools... don't mess with until the specific gravity reaches a certain point....