So here we have Deschutes' version of Collaborator No 2, and while it's obviously the other side of the same coin, it's just a little bit different and a little bit better than Boulevard's version.
It pours similarly to the Collaborator, but has a more yellow hue to it, though it's still hazy looking. The head is thick, white and inviting. A quick sniff reveals a spicy profile, but here there seems to be more hops up front.
Sip it, and you have something very similar to the Collaborator, but the flavors just seem a bit more balanced here. The spices kind of attack the tongue in tandem with the spices and citrus. This is the Collaborator, yet it isn't. It might be a bit less subtle with more of a kick up front, courtesy of the hops.
Cross-comparing bottles is probably a pretty interesting experiment (we only tried them from tap) particularly after a couple of months of aging. They're both excellent ales, certainly, but personally I'd go for the Conflux as the "winner".