The home brewer's mantra is "cleanliness is next to godliness".
Keep everything not only clean, but sterile. I use a simple dilute bleach solution, and rinsing carefully, but there are other chemicals available at supply stores. Not paying attention to this introduces funky off-flavors.
All of my 97 5 gal batches (since 1982) have been brewed using cans of malt extract (dried sometimes too) You can make any type beer you wish by varying extract (light or dark, different brands), yeast, hops, and adjunct grains. One 5 gal batch will yield approx. 2 cases of beer.
A more difficult and time consuming method of brewing involves extracting the sugars from the grains yourself by boiling the mash.
Start with a simple ale. An excellent book with lots of recipes is THE COMPLETE JOY OF HOME BREWING by Charlie Papazian.
Your kit idea is fine because it will contain all the containers, and gizmos to make it work, but you'll find that a trip to a beer-making supply store will open your eyes to better equipment that will last longer, should you decide to jump in.
As in every hobby,( guns, golf, hunting), brewing can lead you to purchase a lot of unnecessary stuff. Start with the basics, 2-5 gal jugs, a fermentation lock, siphon hose, 2 cans of extract, brewing yeast, hops, corn sugar for renewing fermentation after bottling and a capper (bottle caps too) You don't need that last item if you use Grolsch type bottles with little red rubbers on the caps.
Have fun. Feel free to PM me if you want to talk more or have questions.
Dave
. Then you let it cool, add yeast, cover and let sit for a few weeks to ferment 
