Man, this thread is just a sh*t show of mixed messages (everybody is trying to be helpful and giving good advice, but there's just too much conflicting advice being put forth). With that said, here's what I think...
Brewing can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be, from equipment to process to recipes and beyond. You, as a brand new brewer, probably want to keep it as simple as possible for your first few times out, and then begin to build up the details. With that in mind, I wouldn't purchase any of the really big stuff just yet. (The folks that are suggesting large kettles/propane burners/etc. are doing so because you will likely want those things down the road, and obviously it will save you money and hassle if you already have them at that point. I, on the other hand, bought those things later, and to this day still have uses for my beginning equipment.) So, if the goal is to make beer and get acquainted with the process, and have the basic materials necessary to get your brewery up and running, here is my suggested list:
1.
A kettle -- don't overthink this for now. Yes, you'll probably want a bigger one later, but for extract kits that use partial volume boils, even a cheap 5 gallon aluminum pot will work. YES, you can use it on the stove. It may come to a boil slower, but unless you're on an incredibly tight schedule, you can surely spare the extra 15 minutes. Also make sure you have a
metal or plastic spoon long enough to stir with.
2.
Star San and a cheap spray bottle -- Star San is essential for sanitizing your equipment at every step after the boil. The easiest way to use it is to mix it with water at the indicated ratio and put some in a spray bottle/mister. Then you can easily spray down any surface or tool that you need sanitized.
3.
TWO 6.5 gallon plastic buckets with spigots, plus at least one airlock -- these work just fine as fermentors. Do your full fermentation schedule in the first bucket (no transfer for secondary; there are threads galore about that on here), then transfer via the spigot to the second bucket for bottling.
Ignore anyone who says you can't make beer in these. That's an outright lie, as evidenced by countless homebrewers who make consistently excellent beer using buckets. You may end up *preferring* a different kind of fermentor down the line, but these are your best bet up front.
4.
A few (maybe 5) feet of tubing -- you attach this to the spigot of your fermenting bucket to transfer your finished beer to the bottling bucket without excessive splashing, then attach it to the bottling bucket spigot for bottling (make sure it is kept sanitary). Just make sure it is the correct size to fit your spigots and bottling wand. 5/16" diameter works well for my equipment.
5.
Bottling wand -- presumably you are bottling, so this in an essential. Cheap and easy to use.
6.
Bottles and bottle caps -- my suggestion? Go drink a bunch of good beer and save all the bottles that have pry-off caps (can't use twist-offs, sadly). You'll need somewhere between 40-50 bottles. Caps aren't reusable, but you can purchase them from your lhbs or online retailer very cheaply.
7.
Bottle capper -- Get the cheap red wing capper. I bottled for several years before moving on to kegging, and I used the same capper the whole time.
8.
Recipe Kit -- this one's a no-brainer, of course, but you'll need ingredients! Order a kit from somewhere reputable like Northern Brewer, or take a chance on your lhbs' kits. They should come with extract, hops (keep frozen until use), yeast (keep refrigerated until use), corn [priming] sugar for bottling, and instructions. Follow the instructions as closely as you can, except when they inevitably tell you to transfer to a secondary fermentor (just leave it where it is until bottling time, it will be perfectly fine). Also, you will see lots of scary complicated information about water chemistry if you look around. Luckily, extract kits are best done with store-bought distilled water, which eliminates your worries on that front.
I hope this helps. It's great that you have put so much thought and effort into getting prepared, but it's also important that you not overthink it in the beginning. This basic equipment will get you on your feet, and when you have done it once or twice you will have a much clearer picture of what you need beyond that.
