Hello Patrick,
I've been brewing for a few years. I don't have a lot of room or time (and I'm lazy) so I still use canned wert from the home brew shop. I also use a lot of flavoring agents such as black grain, dark & light malt of both the dry & liquid variety and different flavored hops. I don't use that much hops as I like sweeter beers. The hops I use come in little 12 gram "tea-bag" style sachets that I just drop in the fermenter last thing before I put the lid on. Currently I've 2 on the go, a stout & a lager. The stout started off with "Irish stout" wert (in a can) to which I added dark & light malt, decocted black grain and "Goldings" hops. The lager is similarly constructed but without the grain or dark malt & has "Cascade" hops. I also brew cider & honey beer (mead ale). My 3 carved in stone home brewing rules are: #1 Make sure everything is clean & sterile. #2 Write down what & how much you use. #3 Always obey rule #1. It might sound stupid but I've seen more than 1 brew poured down the drain because it got infected through not being cleaned or sterilized properly. Never be afraid to ask questions. I hope this is helpful to you. All the best.
Liam