Is there a way to tell, via smell, taste, appearance, and texture if cottage cheese is spoiled?

Fresh cottage cheese has a mild, clean flavor, with detectable acid. Lack of a “fresh” odor is another early sign that the product is going “off.” The acidity of cottage cheese doesn’t strongly inhibit mold and yeast, which break down the fat and protein content, causing rancid and unclean flavors.
 
Mold may smell like a damp, musty basement, while yeast defects manifest as a strong odor of yeast-leavened bread. As an unaged dairy product, fresh cottage cheese exhibits milk characteristics, so look for the “burnt hair” aroma and the plastic or bitter flavor of “off” milk.
 
Source(s):
USDA Factsheet: “Judging and Scoring Milk and Cheese”
Dr. Rani Govindasamy-Lucey, senior scientist, Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, University of Wisconsin.