Right, Mr. Beer is the starter kit, to see if you like it......if you do, you'll quickly outgrow Mr. Beer. I used to brew a lot back in the day, you can really make great beer. Mr. Beer should not be frustrating at all. If she didn't get you a particular recipe.....start with a brown ale. Easiest to make and have turn out. 100%, if you are interested, go to a local homebrew place and just see if you click with one of the employees and can pick their brain. I really enjoyed brewing beer with friends, and seeing what we came up with. It is a good, easy, communal project. #1 priority is to follow all sanitizing steps/instructions. You must have clean equipment. Number 2 is to use non-chlorinated water. If your city water is pretty treated, or you use bottled water, make sure you use water that has not been treated much.