Like a lot of hobbies, I've had countless friends invest in all the funky stuff you need to home-brew. As Utee referenced, they usually end up spending $250 to ferment some sour water in barely carbonated trash. Most get distracted and move on to another hobby once they realize that vast amounts of cheap beer isn't in their immediate future.
I do have a few friends that stuck with it, kept a book on their successes and failures, realized the importance of going slow, CLEANING ALL YOUR GEAR, and studying others advice, and they eventually created a living drink that could be enjoyed.