I had the same question a while back, read as much as you can, on this site and others, and ask questions. Another think I found out, via this site, is that a lot of breweries are really cool to home brewers, so if you email them questions about brews you like a lot (not all) will point you in the right direction for a recipe. My brews also gained a huge leap when I started making starters and pitching the correct amount of yeast, there are a TON of threads here for that, it is a cheap easy way to improve your beer. Attention to fermentation temps is another key, research the yeast you are using ahead of time and plan how to achieve the desired characteristics, ie; temp control. Personally, I d not have a fermentation box/modified fridge, but I find a swap cooler works really well for the desired effect for little money. I use a plastic keg tub and refill and freeze the 1 gallon jugs of water I use to brew with to lower temps. Another thing to think about is a partial mash, also very inexpensive and easy to do. From my experience, I have found better flavors in my extract brews with DME over LME and I try to do a lot of late DME additions too. Dry hopping is another way to change you flavor profile as well as late hop additions, it just depends on what you are looking to change.
For my last extract brew w steeping grain (all grain gear coming on Monday;can't wait!) i made a Russian Imperial Stout kit, pretty basic, but I decided to kick it up a bit, too say the least! I also ordered 8oz Cacao nibs and some American oak cubes, medium toast. I soaked the cubes in Port (wine-ish) for about 3 weeks. thinking I was good to go, I checked the gravity of the RIS and was off by quite a bit, I did not pitch enough yeast, so I re-hydrated a pack of Nottingham and added that, BAM a week later right at my FG for 3 days straight. So, I racked the RIS onto the oak cubes and the soaking Port and the Cacao nibs. Even better(in my opinion, lol) I made a "tea" of dried Ancho Chilis, smoked jalapenos, with vodka, and added that ounce by ounce to the brew to get the right amount of smoked heat. That is a lot of work to modify a kit beer, but shows you the possibilities you have at your hand. Started with a Russian Imperial Stout kit, will end up with a Russian Imperial Chocolate Stout w Port Oak and Smoked Chilis.... Let your taste buds direct you and people all over this site will be more than willing to help you out! Just be as specific as possible when asking questions and include all the details of your process and what you hope to achieve. Hope I did not overwhelm you, good luck brewing, and welcome to fold...
