brown hops

[joshwilfong]

I went about drying the hops my plants produced this year and have found that many have taken a deep brown hue to them. Their scent is somewhat of grass clippings but if compressed some hop notes still are present. I imagine this is not an ideal state that the hops are in, any thoughts on if these are worth using for late additions and if so, is there any risk for contamination to my beer because I am concerned they may have some wild creatures growing on them.. thanks

[drummstikk]

many have taken a deep brown hue to them.

I used a small bine as a decoration in my room -- the cones turned brown within a week or so. My guess is that this is a sign of oxidation. You should let your nose decide whether the use the hops, but I'd go ahead and let them fully oxidize, then use them purely for antimicrobial properties in a sour beer.