The best homebrew that I've made was so simple, in a way it's discouraging -- it wasn't beer it was apple cider. (I struggle to find time to make beer, and often times the beer isn't all that good.)
Cheap bottled apple juice fermented with Red Star Cote des Blanc yeast (that specific yeast is important), then bottled in 1 liter pop bottles with 2 sugar cubes. Don't add any other sugar; boosting the alcohol reduces the apple taste. It was still a little cloudy when I bottled it, but it cleared right up in the bottles and carbonated quickly. I'll start a 5 or 6 gallon batch in a couple of weeks when I get back from vacation.
I have all this expensive equipment (not all *that* expensive, but it adds up), and the really good stuff can be made in a bucket and you don't even need a bottle capper.
