I'm finishing up the boil of a batch that utilized 3 oz of debittered/aged cascade leaf hops (HopsDirect). These are my impressions up to this point.
Repackaging: Moved the pound from mylar bag to a paper bag to sit in my garage until needed. Smell was some cheesiness plus citrus/floral hoppiness. Overall, smelled like hops with some blue cheese mixed in. Not bad at all.
Initial Rest: The first couple weeks was INTENSE! Any nice hoppy quality was overwhelmed with the smell of blue rotting cheese with a blast of vomit and weed. My wife asked several times if I could move them somewhere outdoors - to which I calmly replied "No". I weathered the onslaught from her and after a few weeks the intensity mellowed down to where she could cope - but did not completely go away.
Summer Rest: Throughout the summer the hops endured some serious aging for several months living in temperatures of 110°F regularly. This did wonders for killing 95% of the smell. By the end of summer the bag didn't give off any aromas but maybe the faintest of smells if your timing was right. The bag just became a "thing" on top of a freezer.
First Use: Pulled out 3 oz for a batch. The dry hops had almost no smell; bit of dry hay and the
subtlest hints of noble-like/spicy hops and cheese (you really had to stick your nose in there to get more than hay).
....and then I dropped them in the boiling wort....WOW! Rye whisky, oak, and cinnamon sticks! Amazing! Makes me want to capture some of the goodness in a normal batch of beer as a flameout addition. After 30 minutes of boiling, still some of the initial qualities and a light smell of clean wet hay. No hoppiness; no cheesiness. After 60 minutes of boiling, most of the initial qualities are gone and starting to get a little spaghetti with parmesan aroma (wife just got home as says it smells a little cheesy and stinky
).
This batch will go down as my first 100% local microflora wild ale. Cooled by ambient outside air with nothing but a screen to keep leaves and big bugs out. I'll drop in a few old grapes that are still hanging on the vine in hopes of helping things go bad. When I feel confident that this batch will spoil, I'll move it to a carboy and purge the headspace with co2. Nothing else will make it's way into the carboy. Three years from now, if I remember, I'll post back. Chances are high that it'll go down a drain but how else will I know if I don't try. Mostly though, the hops blew me away when they went into the boiling wort. I wonder if something more than old, sour beers can be done with these.