Get a quality kit
Extract kits are a far cry from the rusty Boots shelves of yesteryear. They offer a simple and affordable way to get started in the hobby, with acceptable results. You can find decent kits at St. Peters or Woodfordes breweries, as well as online for around PS20 from Wilko or Brew.
Everything should be clean
You must be very careful about how clean your beer is after it brews. VWP is a no-nonsense cleaner/sterilizer that can be used to prepare everything beforehand. A no-rinse soap is a great tool to use during the brew. The combination of these two should make it easy to avoid a spoilt or infected beer. Online cleaning products can be purchased at Brew Store or The Malt Miller.
Look after your ingredients
Get some plastic containers that are airtight. Keep malt cool and dry for at least six months. However, it’s best to throw it out after that time. You will only get stale flavours from using stale malt. Dried yeast can be stored if it is sealed and kept at room temperature, but it will lose its potency and reliability. Hops don’t age well. Do not believe that any hops were harvested before last year, no matter how cheap.
These things are not necessary to make beer. However, it can make the process easier in certain ways. The beer can be left in the carboy for quite a while, and bottling is much simpler with the auto-siphon tip and the bottling tip.
You will likely already have all the ingredients you need to make your beer at home. If you are using a carboy, a large pot that can hold 4 gallons or more of liquid, a large spoon to stir it, and a funnel. To ensure that your equipment is clean, you will need to wash it with a bleach solution.