I made a Simcoe/Centennial pale ale, and I'm getting a subtle aroma of blue cheese, it goes away as my olfactory senses adapt, I smell it again and it's there. None of the bottles have been gushers and it tastes great. I don't have an infection do I?
Old hops are sometimes described as cheesy. Some bacterial infections produce cheesy compounds (butyric acid and/or derivatives thereof). If there are no other signs of infection, maybe bad hops?
I did, none of the packages smelled off, though it was the first time I brewed with Simcoe, and they smelled, like hops.
I have smelled cheesy hops before, and they smelled cheesy before use. So I would be leaning toward infection as the probably cause.
Butyric acid? Throw some brett in with it, it'll change to pineapple flavors. Especially in a totally uncontrolled environment.
