BeerBorg

if I ever did find some of my stored hops have gone cheesy... is there any use for them other than beer? I don't think I would like drinking beer that smelled like feet or gorgonzolla. . . but I also hate throwing money away.

I don't like to waste ingredients either, but I would not risk using hops that are past their prime. All the effort and cost involved in a good batch of beer to be ruined by oxidized hops just isn't worth the couple bucks.

Not only do they have that stinky feet/chees aroma, I may be wrong but they will add the same to the flavor. The fact that they are already oxidized they can also create different flavors and aroma in the beer. I've tasted oxidized hops in my beer, maybe not old or oxidized from the start but have gotten oxidized from dry hopping or poor handling in my process. They add a noticeable veggy/grassy flavor to a beer. Just have to ask yourself, is it really worth it. I don't mind tossing bad hops, old grain...expired yeast or even dumping a bad batch...it's just not worth the bother IMO.

so you cant eat them ? like make a spent grain and cheesy hop bread or something?

I use them in my Sour beers. Some of the souring microbes are hindered by high AAs, so old cheesy hops are used.

This was the first place I came to this morning sipping on some coffee apparently I wasnt awake yet. Your post reads much different now that I am awake.

I cant think of any other way to use them. Definitely do not smoke them.

Belgians use their old sour noble hops in very large quantities as a bittering hop (which being degraded low AA hops to start with will not bitter much anymore) IE just boiled for like 90 minutes, nothing late in the boil that would be yucky - for any kind of spontaneously fermented beers (sours, brett beers, etc.). Even though they will not provide many IBUs or flavor, they do suppress some microorganisms like Inkleg says. This helps the sacc or brett to get a foothold before the lactic stuff, and most especially "other stuff you don't want".

Assuming that they are not moldy, you can try baking them in the oven at 200F for awhile. I've head that if you let them sit out long enough the cheese will go away. For a lambic, you want stale but not cheesy.