Old Hops...for Bittering?

The guy who got me into brewing constantly drops stuff off at my house. Equipment, ingredients, etc. He doesn't brew much anymore, and he knows all these guys who have great stuff but don't use it, so he brings it over. Recently he dropped off this huge box of miscellaneous grain, DME and hops. Now, I know for a fact that the stuff is a few years old, and who knows how it's been stored, but I was thinking about just experimenting with it. Make a huge barleywine or something like that, and toss in all the hops for bittering. Now, I can see how using old hops will make them less potent, bitter-wise, and that they may not be too great to use for flavor and aroma either, because the taste might not be the best, but what about bittering? Since they're boiling for so long, what do you guys think would come of it?

Kind of related...
Read this to form some sort of opinion.
http://byo.com/departments/1611.html

Relevant passage:

If you like what you smell, consider using it later in the process. The later you use it, the less you want to use, especially if it is a very pungent variety. If you’d use three ounces for the main boil, try two for the whirlpool and maybe half an ounce for dry hopping. What you smell and what you pick up on will be imparted into the beer. If you smell something you don’t like, consider using it at the beginning of the boil. Most of the volatiles will be driven off and you’ll just get the alpha acids.

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Save them to make a lambic. Don't they lose most of their alpha acids over time, especially if they aren't stored well? Do they smell cheesy? I've heard that if they do smell cheesy, if you let them age even beyond that, the cheesiness will go away and they'll be perfect for lambics.

Thanks for the link. Both of the guys seemed to allude to the fact that AA's stick around, and any volatiles will be driven off by the long boil. Sounds like a green light to me. Unless they smell rancid, of course.

Yar save em for preservation qualities if you ever venture into Lambic-esque world.

Would be good for a traditional scottish or scotch ale.
The Alpha acids break down over time. The lipid glands will turn orange.
Old hops will have more Beta acids, which are less prevalent and weaker than the Alpha acids. It will not add much bitterness.
Good for Scottish ales.

I would suggest you smell them. If they have any off odors, like cheesy, don't use them. Those off odors will end up in your finished product to some degree. For a few dollars in hops, you can waste your time and other ingredients to make a not so good beer.

Just my opinion.

Dr Malt