It is the equipment... Sorry for not specifying
Hey! Sorry myself! I honestly thought that "ballihoo" was a cheer of joy for getting a brew kit from your gf or something. Some guys would be thrilled to have an SO that is supportive enough buy equipment and say, "Here Baby, go brew some beer!
In any case, the first website I would recommend would be HBT forums right here. There are answers to every question in the book here, presented from every point of view in the book as well. It makes for both informative and often entertaining reading. Plus, these guys and gals are brewing great beer right now, with the ingredients and equipment available right now. Current and up to date is good.
Also be sure and check out the AHA "
How to Brew Beer" tutorials, if you haven't been there already. I learned the basics there. Instructions for extract, partial mash, as well as all grain techniques are explained there for free and and right at hand. It might help you to get a quick understanding of what you're in for. Get registered and you'll get the magazine as well, which is worth it by itself.
Finally, let me recommend
Brewers Friend, as you can use it for free. This is a recipe formulation site, primarily.
I don't recommend creating your own recipes right off the bat, but this can be a helpful resource for a number of reasons. If I am brewing a kit, for example, I'll go ahead and input the ingredients into the builder, then use the brew function to keep track of my... well... everything. The calculators are VERY useful. Check it out, you'll see what I mean.
Some folks use a very good program called
BeerSmith for similar functions, but it requires some investment. There is a 30 day free trial, however!
Others can give you better advice on books. I'm ashamed to say my unread book pile is taller than I am, at this point. Palmer's is very popular, I understand.
Have fun with your new hobby! May you brew good beer!