Hey folks, I have never brewed any alcohol before, and I want to get into it. I have that type of personality (I reload, enjoy cooking, make some of my own furniture, all that stuff) which would be well suited to brewing, but I don't want to dive too deep just in case I find I don't like it. I would like to brew an experimental batch, just to see if I like the process. What is the bare minimum needed to get into this hobby? I would love to keep the equipment costs, not including bottles, caps, and ingredients, under 50 dollars.

I like most all beer. I'll have a good time with Keystone Light, Budweiser, Blue Moon, Shiner Bock, a huge variety really, although I've never dabbled much in IPAs. My favorite these days (which I am sipping as I type this) is Blue Moon. I just go wild for the citrus. But I understand that a basic beginner beer would probably be my best place to start. Could you point me toward a good book, or online article which outlines a very simple recipe?

If I find that I like brewing, I want to go all out. I will grow my own grain (I am a farmer, so I can grow an acre of barley for just the inputs plus opportunity cost) and hops. I have found that hops are a plant native to North Dakota, and I would love to grow them myself. From my research, it seems that most beginners use a commercially processed malt extract, rather than starting from grain, so I acknowledge that this will be the logical thing to start with. I can always go more authentic later.

A few odds and ends:

Can I just reuse bottles that I already have from drinking beer, and recap them? Or is this a waste of time, and I should just buy 5 dozen bottles?

I don't really care if I save money over buying beer. If I could produce a good beer for a dollar a bottle, I would be just fine with that, but I would prefer not to spend more than $15 in ingredients per 12 pack.

Thank you folks, I am so excited to get into this hobby! I plan to also make mead, and maybe dabble in wine or cider.

Is this the kit I want?

howtobrew

That is a very basic kit, will get the job done. You will need a big pot to boil in, 4+ gallons. Also way to chill it down to fermentation temp, an
ice bath will work. No need to buy a chiller if you don't know if you will enjoy making beer. You will add more equipment if you enjoy brewing.

You can reuse pry off bottles, they will need to be cleaned. I used to get bottles from a bar my friend worked at.

Is there a homebrew store or club in your area? Every club I talked to was very helpful,might even let you come over on a brew day so you
can learn.

See above for answers.....

Does anyone know where to find kits which are replicas of Blue Moon Belgian White, which only use extracts and specialty grains? Thanks.

I prefer bottled beer, it's more versatile for taking places, and I don't really want to look after a keg.

Craigslist is usually full of beginner/starter kits.  I'd look there and see what you can find.

I started by making apple cider using a 1 gallon jug of louisburg cider, cloves, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and a punchball balloon with a pin prick in it. Bottled it in wire top grolsch bottles and it was tasty. Been getting a little more complex every so often.

Well, I ordered a kit from Midwest supply. I got the starter kit, 2 5 gallon recipes, and four dozen bottles with a gross of caps for 100 bucks shipped.

Already doubled your budget. Welcome to the madness.

Eh, I said 50 bucks just for the equipment. The recipes of ingredients and bottles were like 60 bucks. I am pretty happy.