I've done a few batches of my own. As mentioned before you need to be OCD about cleaning bottles. Don't bother buying bottles from a store. Just have some friends save them for you (bud or coors bottles, miller bottles suck). Rinse them out, fill tub with hot water and a couple of cups of bleach. Let them soak for an hour then peal the labels off and rinse them with a bottle washer. The guy at the store will help you decide on what ingredients you want for the type of beer.