Thanks everyone. I (like a surprisingly large amount of people) started with a Mr. Beer kit and made mostly terrible beer. Not sure if it was that the liquid malt extract was old or not, but I can state that the fermenter came with a compliment of five or six dead spiders in it. So, be that as it may, I decided it'd be fun to get a proper kit, so I waited until I could find reasonably inexpensive carboys for fermenting (read: free), and I think I spent around $150 to make the first batch, with all of the supporting equipment such as a 26qt kettle, auto siphon, hydrometer and other assorted items, and a Brewers Best kit.
Anyway, haven't tasted any of them yet, but I bottled the Red Ale on Sunday, and the West Coast IPA should be ready to rack to the secondary today or tomorrow. Also, a plug for John Palmer's book. It is a great read.
