Yeast starter questions

If the beer is small (<1.050 OG) and the yeast is fresh, then go with the liquid yeast. If your beer is big, then I recommend getting some dry yeast to keep things simple with your first batch.

 

You might be underpitching, depending on the gravity of the wort and the viability of the yeast.
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

It's okay, but you'll end up with a lower gravity beer.

What have you lost already?

 

You are thinking way beyond what most people consider when brewing for the first time.

1. Liquid yeast is great, and you don't have to make a starter.
2. See above.
3. You'll be fine, brew and go.

Questions:

What are you brewing?
What yeast are you using?
Where are you fermenting?

 

An ESB was my 2nd brew ever.

If you can, try to keep your temps under 70...mid 60's being better. That yeast may have a bit of a lag time before it gets started, but it's known to ferment very quickly when it gets going. Try to use a blow-off tube if you can.

Good Luck!

 

Use one of those thermometers that you stick on the side of the fermenter. Your room may be 65, but during active fermentation the yeast create heat...sometimes quite a bit. You may find that you'll need to drop the temp a bit to keep it in check.

 

Airlock: a small plastic device that let's CO2 (under pressure) escape in one direction, while stopping O2 from going in the other direction.

Blowoff Tube: a hose that goes from your fermenter's headspace to a container of water or starsan solution. It serves the same purpose as an Airlock, plus it give a fermentation's krausen 'blowoff' somewhere to go if necessary.

Since you say you got a blowoff 'valve,' I assume that's an Airlock. If you are using a Bucket or a 6.5 gallon carboy, and fermenting at reasonable temps, an airlock will be fine for this beer, i.e. you won't need a blowoff tube. Even with a 6 gallon Better Bottle, you'd probably be okay with an Airlock (for this beer).