A few Christmases ago, Beth got me a kit to brew beer from Midwest Supplies. We also bought some stuff at Maryland Homebrew. Shopping on the internet is fun, but sometimes it is nice to go to a store (and not wait for UPS all damned day).
Our fifth beer (a Holiday Ale) did come out good.
I've got some pictures and details below.
Our first batch was a maple flavored beer. Considering that we poured an entire bottle of syrup into it, the maple flavor was pretty subtle. It tasted fairly close to normal beer with a hint of maple. I will definitely try something different next time.
Here are notes that I kept about specific gravities and temperatures while brewing.
We currently have a batch of nut brown ale fermenting. So far, it smells a lot less hoppy than any other beer we've made.
Here are the notes on specific gravity, temperature, and eventually taste.
Here are the notes I took.
Unfortunately, this beer did not come out good (or properly carbonated).