Conflux No. 2 - Deschutes Brewery

chugalug06

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

A - Awesome huge white head. Lots of foam with lots of small bubbles. Brew stands cloudy yellow with white and orange. Very thick for the style.

S - Sour??? Some clove and sweet hops. Not bitter at all. Interesting. some banana and orange too.

T - Smooth, slightly sour. Interesting. Slightly missed the style. A bit too light and under hopped. Yet, still quite good.

M - Great. Perfect all around.

O - Not quite appropriate for the style, but still a awesome brew, that's the only reason for the mark down.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 03:13:22 | More by chugalug06

vobr0002

Minnesota

3.43/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A- golden color, maybe a bit on the yellow side. White head.

S- wheat, lemon, citrus, pepper.

T- crisp, lemon grass flavor, spicy notes, bitter finish.

M- higher carbonation, lots of bubbles floating up. Good mouth feel.

O- its a decent beer but not one of my favorites. Still acquiring a taste for the Belgian ipas

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 21:14:21 | More by vobr0002

TVolt1

Minnesota

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: great bright yellow color. Chunks of yeast floating around and we were very careful not to disrupt the beer as we poured and handled. Very cloudy.

S: Great smell. Bananas, orange peels, malt, and a hint of white grapes. The largest smell is bananas.

T: Very good beer. Taste the bananas initailly and then get the bitter finish that I like in an IPA. Refreshing and crisp taste.

M: Thicker mouthfeel for an IPA. Medium carbonation and again, a crisp feel.

O: Overall, I like the beer. If the appearance and the mouthfeel were a little better, I would rate this beer just a little higher.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2011 21:02:56 | More by TVolt1

plfahey

Minnesota

4.53/5  rDev +13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bottle poured into a tulip glass.

Appearance-Yellow golden color with good clarity but some sediment, even with a careful pour off the top of the bottle. Tall white head has good retention.

Aroma-Gorgeous aroma of lemongrass, mint, herbs, sage, orange citrus, soft perfumy coriander, and light floral notes. Heavenly. Soft white bread malt in the background. Elegant and quite pleasing.

Flavor-Light orange citrus and lemongrass up front, with light honey and wheaty white bread flavors in the midpalate. Herbal, minty, sagelike, and coriander all stride through the middle before it finishes with moderate hop bitterness and some yeasty funk, to blend with all the spice and herbal character. There's a lot going on, but it blends together seamlessly.

Mouthfeel-Medium body with moderately high carbonation. Smooth on the palate.

This is a very good beer. It's pretty busy, but somehow it all works together, and creates a delicious, palate-pleasing delight of a beverage. It edges out the Boulevard version slightly in terms of flavor and aroma, though both are superb beverages.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 05:28:09 | More by plfahey

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz bottle into a couple of tulip glasses. I picked this one up at the brewery in last early September and enjoyed it about a month later.

Pours a hazed gold initially, which does eventually clear out, with a finger of frothy bright-white head. This readily maintains a rich and foamy ½ finger, which leaves back a decent amount of sudsy looking lacing. The aroma is very airy feeling the nose, with grassand bubblegum notes and then a strong spicy mix of pepper and coriander. Zesty lemon and some greener bitter citrus round out the edges and work well with the crisp tanginess of the wheat in the back.

The taste is prickly feeling on the palate, with a sharp grassy and slightly piney bitterness that is made even bolder by the strong spiciness of this. The wheat base has a crisp bready twang to it and an almost tart feel that compliments the notes of lemon and orange peel that are present. The finish is dry, pithy, and very spicy, with an extra bit of lingering tartness hanging in there as well. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe a little heavier feeling and sharp on top before getting more smooth and creamy on the tongue. You can definitely feel that 7% though, with some underlying alcohol heft that is holding this back for me.

While I found this to be quite unique, it ultimately just didn’t work that well for me. The combination of the spice from the Belgian yeast and the coriander coupled with the thickness of the wheat profile and then the big ABV on top of that just made even half this bottle tough to drink. Maybe even more of a hop presence might have lent this some needed crispness to help things go down a little easier. At any rate, it’s definitely different.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2011 19:16:25 | More by Kegatron

Bookseeb

Washington

4.03/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance has a light golden yellow color with a healthy stable head and a nice curtain of lace. Smell has the upfront hop with a zest of spice coriander, orange peel and lemon mellowed in the malt and yeast. Taste is a zesty IPA with the aroma continuing into the flavor. Mouthfeel medium with a good spike of carbonation. An interesting white IPA having laid back, mellow characteristics that make it enjoyable to drink.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 02:40:48 | More by Bookseeb

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle with best before date of 11/10/11 poured in to Duvel tulip.

A - Hazy golden yellow colour; very slightly translucent. One finger of bubbly white head that quickly receded in to a ring around the glass.

S - Banana, citrus, cloves, bready malts. The aroma is a cross between an IPA and a wheat beer. A little different than a typical Belgian IPA with the American IPA-like citrus notes.

T - Belgian yeast, banana, cloves, citrus and bready malts. A nice bitterness is present and is complimented by a semi-sweet malt backbone. the finish is dry and bitter.

M - Light to medium body; moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 02:31:44 | More by TheSevenDuffs

kevanb

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

It pours a really soft golden straw color with lots of white sediment floating around in the glass. There is a single finger of stark white foamy head that sticks to the glass really well. It smells really interesting, typical Witbier aromas, lemon zest, subtle grains and faint spices blend with some grapefruit aromas and just a touch of juniper. The flavors follow the nose well, zesty lemon and Belgian yeast lead the way with some bitter spice notes at the end from the hops. Nice full body thats got a pretty big spring in its step from the carbonation.

Verdict: Nice balance, not too bitter, not too light. Very refreshing and palatable, could do with a little less carbonation but this is a really tasty beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-15-2011 06:22:53 | More by kevanb

MasterSki

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle courtesy of joshuaseresse. Served in a Surly Darkness glass. Best before November 10th, 2011 - just in time.

A - A finger-plus of white foam settles to a thin cap, thick collar, and ample lacing. Lightly hazed golden straw body with a few streams of bubbles present.

S - Smells like a witbier, but with some very mild tropical fruit hop notes in the periphery. Plenty of pale malts, wheat, vanilla and lemon peel, and a dash of coriander and white pepper. Pretty similar to the Boulevard version. Spice intensity grows as it warms up.

T - While I found the Boulevard version suffered from non-sequitur flavor combinations, this version instead suffers from being dull and understated. There's some wheat, Belgian yeast, and a touch of hop bitterness in the finish - perhaps a hint of peppercorn as well. It's possible this has fallen off in the past three months, but I'm guessing this version just wasn't as intense as the Boulevard (for better or for worse).

M - Carbonation seems much higher than Boulevard's take - bordering on unpleasant. Medium bodied, with a lightly resinous finish, and a bit of warmth on the back of the throat.

D - I've liked Boulevard's take on this recipe better. A bit of my opinion is probably informed by freshness, but in this case it's the feel that I find markedly inferior. Still - I like these IPA/Wit hybrids more than I enjoy most "Belgian" IPAs. This paired nicely with my vegan pizza slice.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 02:31:14 | More by MasterSki

russwbeck

Virginia

2.7/5  rDev -32.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

A: Hazy clear yellow pour with a huge white head. Tons of lacing down the glass and great retention. I really did not expect this to be so light.

S: Lemony, citrus, coriander, sort of wondering where the hops are.

T: Really tastes more like a wheat ale than an IPA. Spicey, lemon, citrus, coriander. It has a strange aftertaste.

MF: Light, a bit of a low amount of carbonation.

O: This really disappointed me. The taste was really strange, too spicey, not enough hops.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2011 02:47:54 | More by russwbeck

flagmantho

Washington

4.05/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bomber into a tulip. Bottle says best by 11/10/11, so I'm in under the wire.

Appearance: silvery-golden hue with a shimmering haze and two thick fingers of creamy, frothy white foam. It looks like a witbier and, by that measure, looks quite good indeed.

Smell: funky and spicy; it smells like a funkily-hopped French saison, if I had to venture a comparison, but it has a smooth and sweet undertone which I quite like.

Taste: quite good indeed. Funky, earthy hops complement well the slightly funky yeast character in this brew; it manages to be sweet and silky as well as deeply earthy. It is truly a conflux of styles as well as brewers; I think this beer is a bit odd but a success nonetheless.

Mouthfeel: light body but HUGE creaminess. It doesn't seem that carbonated until you swish it around, and then BOOM. Silky, creamy and delightful.

Overall: I like this beer a great deal. I hope it has a future and doesn't remain just a one-off.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 21:59:41 | More by flagmantho

Reaper16

Alabama

3.9/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz. bomber served into a tulip glass

Pours a pale and very slightly hazy yellow color, kinda icterine/kinda neon when held to light. 1.5 fingers of head form, and man is that head pretty. Very, very fine bubbles throughout the entirety of the foam; consistently small. Lots of spindly lacing clings to the sides of the glass.

The aroma is a lot like the Boulevard Collaboration No. 2 (which makes sense given that they are nearly the exact same beer), only less dominated by the green/herbaceous aromas. There's a whole lot less sage in the Deschutes-bottled version. The brewmasters from Deschutes and Boulevard both thought that there was too much sage in the Boulevard-bottled version, so the didn't use as much when brewing the beer the 2nd time around. Honestly though, I miss the heavy sage. Without it, I notice a stronger-than-desired level of bubblegum. Without it the orange zest is a little too strong and the citrusy hops don't have as much to cut through.

My first thought upon tasting it is that it is less complex than Collaboration No. 2, but that might just be due to hops fading from the few months of age (even though this bottle has been constantly refrigerated since I received it months ago; I just forgot that I had it in the fridge since August). There's lots of witbier flavor right up front: the wheat is present and accounted for and the orange peel is authentically astringent. The hops here provide dashes of lemon and orange that brighten things up. There's less sage and lemongrass than in Collaboration No. 2, so the hop profile doesn't have to work as hard. Consequently, those hops dominate the finish of the beer with some sweet citrus and a moderate bitterness that is accentuated by coriander. A bit of estery bubblegum shows on the finish as well, but the hops hold it in check. As the beer warms I'm picking up on a trace amount of the lime that I so enjoyed in Collaboration No. 2, but the lack of herbal notes makes that lime flavor subdued.

Conflux No. 2 is a medium-bodied beer with gentle carbonation. It's balanced and refreshing and would be awesome with a nice filet of salmon or amberjack with a light cream sauce. Because of the finish Conflux No. 2 comes across more as an IPA than Boulevard's Collaboration No. 2 (White IPA) does, but it is also less complex and ultimately less interesting as a result. I'm going to disagree with the experts at Boulevard and Deschutes and say that the heavy sage and lemongrass made for a better beer. Still, this Conflux No. 2 is delicious and you should not hesitate to buy it right now, even if its "Best Before" date is coming up soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 00:21:11 | More by Reaper16

ccrida

Oregon

3.48/5  rDev -12.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bomber poured into a shaker pint, Conflux No. 2 is bright yellow with lots of floaties, and a white head leaving scattered lace.

Smell is citrus, lots of lemon.

Taste is all over the place, pretty complex. At first I'm tasting an acrid citrus spice-bomb, like chewing on coriander. Then I get some lemony hops, citra. And then, especially after a bite of cranberry in my salad, it's a barnyard brett attack. Oh, and it's yeasty, not esters, but yeast slurry. All three competing flavors (hops, spice, and brett) come off sharply bitter on the finish.

Mouthfeel is dry, light bodied.

Drinkability is ok. There's just a enough wit-like brightness to make it palatable, and it certainly wins points for being interesting...but the overall acridness doesn't warrant another pour. Would have preferred to have this fresh (best by date isn't until 11/10), it's already 3 months old and I'm sure the hop/brett ratio is rapidly skewing.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 23:07:02 | More by ccrida

siradmiralnelson

Iowa

4.22/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bottle into Tulip glass.

A. Poured a big ol 4 finger head. Thick lacing. Good retention. Color is a hazy golden yellow.

S. Nice floral hop smell. Some citrus fruit, lemony. Has some spices mixed in also. Not quite sure if I like the smell on this better than the Blvd Collaboration 2.

T. Nice spicy, sweet, hoppy mix. Get a little white pepper, and some coriander. Little bit of lemony citrusy hop flavor. Has a sweet malt base. Very smooth and easy drinking.

M. Medium bodied. Well carbonated. Lingering sweetness.

O. Overall pretty impressed with both of the collaborations. Not sure that I have a favorite. Understanably they are very similar. Since Boulevard is in my distribution area, I wish they would make this one a year round or at least a seasonal smokestack.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 20:09:25 | More by siradmiralnelson

sholland119

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Aces and Ales.

A Pours a clear golden honey with very little head and no lacing.

S Belgian yeast and citrus hops.Delicious.

T Some sweet malt, grapefruit hops in abundance and nice Belgian yeast.Really good!

M Light to medium bodied, crisp with nice dryness.

O Really nice.I am a big fan.

HV

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2011 15:02:51 | More by sholland119

bsp77

Minnesota

4.22/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Serving glass: Poured from bottle into Tulip.

Appearance: Hazy pale yellow with foamy head and sticky lacing.

Smell: Lots of orange (both from the hops and the orange peel), plus some grapefruit, lemon and coriander.

Taste: What an odd beer. Strong citrusy hops upfront of orange and grapefruit, along with orange peel and nice wheat undertones. Then it turns more spicy, with coriander, clove, pepper and a long lingering pine-like bitterness. It is odd, but fantastic.

Feel: High carbonation, medium body, very dry finish. Comes across as both oily and effervescent, which is a little strange.

Overall: Great pairing here. Extremely refreshing and easy to drink, yet very complex.

Not much difference between the Boulevard and Deschutes versions. Maybe Boulevard had a slightly better mouthfeel, and the hop profiles are not exactly the same.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2011 02:48:50 | More by bsp77

BearsOnAcid

Massachusetts

3.58/5  rDev -10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Hazy yellow color with a white bubbly head.

Some bubblegum on the nose. Estery yeast. Little bit of coriander spice from the yeast.

More belgian yeast spice in the taste. Moderately hoppy, I guess. Had to search a little until the bitterness hit on the finish. Slightly sweet and grainy. Lemony and refreshing. Very well hidden ABV. Slight phenolic note on the finish. Overall a little boring and not that hoppy.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 15:03:19 | More by BearsOnAcid

hardy008

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cloudy lemon yellow with a large 3 finger white head with nice retention and a sticky lace. The aroma has lemons, yeast, pepper, and coriander. Smells like it should be somewhat sweet and phenolic.

Tastes like it smells. Lemons, yeast, pepper, and coriander. The taste is somewhat sweet, but the sweetness is balanced by the pepper and phenol tastes.

Light to medium bodied with plenty of carbonation. Finishes somewhat dry, and leaves a bit of a sticky feeling in the mouth with a lemon and pepper aftertaste. A good collaboration beer, but I like the Boulevard version better.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 02:52:55 | More by hardy008

robbrandes

Oregon

4.45/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

poured from a 22 bomber into a tulip.

wonderful light straw color, one the brighter beers in recent memory. fine, white head, not impressive at first, but great staying power. nose is a pleasing mix of spicy hops, a bit of citrus and a slightly funky belgian yeast aroma.

taste - dang, this is an easy-drinker. light across the tongue, the hops are assertive, but extremely clean. lemon, pepper and belgian goodness. exceptional mouthfeel, and a nice dry finish.

great balance of a refreshment and complexity.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 05:57:06 | More by robbrandes

woemad

Washington

3.98/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22oz bomber purchaed at Huckleberry's in Spokane. Best by 11/10/11, according to the label.

Poured a very hazy golden color, with a modest, bubbly white head. Modest lace left on the sides of my St. Bernardus glass.

Very grassy and spicey in the nose. The lemongrass and the sage are especially noticeable. Standard IPA hops are conspicuous by their absence.

Mildly bitter hops and spices are up front with a mild, fruity sweetness playing a subordinate role. There's also a slight alcohol presence deep in the background.

Fairly light bodied, with a slightly prickly mouthfeel.

A pleasant change of pace beer, this is not something I would have several of, but it is hitting the spot on a college football Saturday after a late lunch.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 23:26:49 | More by woemad

yemenmocha

Arizona

4/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is purely witbier, with luminous straw color and white head, as well as cloudiness and residual yeast floaties. Nose has some of the candied aromas from witbier, coriander in particular, as well as plenty of tropical fruit. Palate offers a decent balance of malty sweetness with some sharp citrus hop bitterness, and a good dose of the yeasty estery stuff from the witbier side of the equation. Finishes with both, almost as if I had poured half witbier, half IPA into the same glass.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 02:50:31 | More by yemenmocha

impending

California

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz into a tulip. Pours a hazed dull light yellow, ok head, ok lacing.

Aroma is rich of the ipa, wonderful piney citrus jumble, spicy, rounded not sharp.

Flavor is more yeast than the nose indicated, again the piney citrus rise to the top. Comes across far less bitter than 60 ibu. Aftertaste gently glides away from the tongue leaving a quiet echo for some time. The sage is a nice touch. Excellent example of the american version of this style. Medium bodied mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 05:40:07 | More by impending

jera1350

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy yellow with a fizzy and thin head that leaves little lacing.

A nice hopped nose with some orange and spice.

Well hopped up front with notes of orange peel and spice from the yeast and I suppose spices. Big wheat presence as well. Basically a hopped up wit.

A bit thin and fizzy. Dry and lighter feeling.

This is a good hopped up wit beer. It's not really ground breaking and lacks interest in my opinion. Still a good and well crafted beer, but not interesting enough for me.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 15:59:25 | More by jera1350

depechemode1983

Texas

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured into a tulip. Color is light yellow with a haze to it. Head is white and dense with outstanding retention. Lacing is substantial and very sticky.

S - Lots of floral notes in the nose. Also picking up orange and pineapple. Belgium spice is also present along with undertones of black pepper and corriander. The nose finish yeasty and perfume like, very aromatic.

T - Taste is mostly citric and spicy. Belgium spices are very noticeable intertwining with orange, pineapple, blackpepper, lemongrass, and candy sugar. Very tropical with spicy twist. The finish is very floral and earth like.

M - pretty damn smooth and silky. Feels like drinking a cloud with a wisp or carbonation.

O - Hats off to gkunkle for this beer. Amazing brew. Very well done. Complex yet subtle. Love it.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2011 19:24:25 | More by depechemode1983

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: 1/4" white head over light straw coloured liquid with very good clarity.

S: Floral and pine hops.

T: Floral and pine hops up front balanced by a slightly sweet fruity and yeasty finish.

M: Medium viscosity and a medium level of carbonation.

O: Very drinkable and refreshing Belgian IPA with fruity tastes and floral and pine hops.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2011 16:53:25 | More by DaftCaskBC