I use the old grolsch bottles as well. The last batch I did was a honey brown, and it came out just fine. Me and about 5 buddies drank almost all of them in one night, save the few we forgot about in the freezer that exploded.
The biggest tip I can give anyone is sanitization. This is the biggest drawback to homebrew as well.....you'll spend more time scrubbing the out of bottles than actually "brewing". It's a pain in the arse, but it's the only way to avoid "skunk" beer. It's also incredibly hard to sit and wait for the carbonization process, as having 48 beers sitting staring at you every day is kind of tough to deal with.
Check out
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/index.php it's a forum dedicated to home brew, and there are some real fanatics in there who have dedicated a ton of time and effort into their craft. Register there and ask questions, I found people to be extremely helpful.