Collabofluxoration: Boulevard/Deschutes Collaboration Side-by-Side

Boulevard Collaboration No 2 hit shelves last week, and to be sure I did stock up.  The Deschutes version of the collaboration, Conflux No 2, was supposed to be released to the Missouri markets around the same time.  Due to a need to rearrange supply demand, Deschutes is probably not going to be in our market until later this year.  What that means is Conflux No 2 will probably not be available when Deschutes does come in.  That's too bad because I really wanted to do a side-by-side comparison of the two beers, and I'm sure many others feel the same.  You can imagine my surprise when Boulevard emailed me so let me know they had a bottle of each version waiting for me.  I am very honored for them to share their stash with me.  I'm not sure how much of the Conflux No 2 made it to KC, but I believe I am only one of two bloggers to get one.  Thank you to all involved who made this happen.

Since this is probably going to be a one shot chance to do a side-by-side, I thought it best to be as scientific as possible.  This is probably not very scientific at all, but let's at least pretend we are professionals here.  Shall we?

Presentation
Collaboration No 2 - 750 ml corked and caged bottle
Conflux No 2 - 22 oz capped bottle
Collaboration +1
750 ml bottles win over 22 oz, corks win over caps

Head
Collaboration No 2 - large soapy bubbles, mild retention, not much lacing
Conflux No 2 - tighter bubbles with a few large ones standing out mild retention, not much lacing
Collaboration +1/2
Conflux + 1/2
Tie

Body
Collaboration No 2 -  Hazy straw yellow with active carbonation streamers
Conflux No 2 - nearly the same color, slightly lighter. not as much carbonation activity
Collaboration +1
I always like to see plenty of carbonation activity

Smell
Collaboration No 2 -  green sage and coriander are dominant, sweet citrus finish
Conflux No 2 - sweet lemongrass is more up front, more of the Belgian yeast is present in the nose
Conflux +1
The Belgian yeast smell edges out a win.

Taste
Collaboration No 2 -  green herbal flavors from the sage and hops, slightly earthy and piny.  A little on the heavy side.
Conflux No 2 - more of the witbier flavors come into play, more lemony citrus and sweet grass.  Lighter shades of green
Conflux +1
The Collaboration seems a little heavy handed compared to the Conflux.  The Conflux seemed more balanced.

Mouthfeel
Collaboration No 2 -  heavier body with a sticky texture, more in line with a traditional IPA
Conflux No 2 - lighter body with a soft texture.  While not as traditional, it enhances the drinkability
Collaboration +1/2
Conflux +1/2
Collaboration scores for tradition, Conflux scores again for balance.

Finish
Collaboration No 2 -  very aromatic green herbal finish that lingers in the nose
Conflux No 2 - clean lemon finish with a mild prickly green herbal note.
Conflux +1
Conflux is edging out with the point for the clean finish.

So final score is:
Collaboration No 2 - 3 points
Conflux No 2 - 4 points

Conflux No 2 has won this side-by-side by one point.  Very close.  And since this is for science, I thought a final experiment of blending the two versions together sounded like a good idea.  Both of these beers were brewed using the exact same ingredients, yet they are very different.  Both very good and very different.  Blended together it takes the best of both beers and makes something very interesting.  I would highly recommend, if you get a chance, to blend these two beers together.  It embraces the spirit of collaboration.