Imperial/Dry/American Stout Hybrid

Hey guys, I wanted to try to get some constructive criticism on this hybrid stout recipe that I'm working on. I'm trying to capture my favorite qualities from all the different stout styles in one beer. I like the big early addition bitterness you find in the Imperial stout but I don't like drinking beers 7.5%ABV and up, I drink to damn much so I stay away from big high gravity brews. The dry stout is my favorite style from the stout family, I think the simple 65%pale, 25%flaked, 10%roasted dry/irish stout recipes are super tasty, so I'm trying to incorporate a little of that in this beer too. And lastly I want to "Americanize" the beer with a nice little late addition of hops. I know I'm basically butchering these wonderful styles but if I can pull this off it would be the perfect stout for me personally based on what I like. I've been tinkering with the recipe below trying to bring out all of these qualities but I could use some help to avoid making a undrinkable disaster, lol. Heres what I have so far, I hope I can get some good feedback on how to make this recipe work.


Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
8.25 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (4.0 SRM) Grain 66.00 %
2.75 lb Barley, Flaked (2.0 SRM) Grain 22.00 %
0.75 lb Briess Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 6.00 %
0.50 lb Briess Black Barley (Stout) (500.0 SRM) Grain 4.00 %
0.25 lb Victory Malt (28.0 SRM) Grain 2.00 %
1.50 oz Nugget [12.20 %] (60 min) Hops 61.0 IBU
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.90 %] (15 min) Hops 8.1 IBU
1 Pkgs Dry English Ale (White Labs #WLP007) Yeast-Ale

Est Original Gravity: 1.066 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.016
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.59 %
Bitterness: 69.2 IBU
Est Color: 36.1

70 min MASH Add 15.63 qt of water at 168.2 F 152.0 F

Can the 1.00oz late addition of hops compete against so much dark roasted grain? Does a 6.5%ABV beer have enough malt backbone to stand up to 70IBU's? Is the victory malt a dumb idea? I guess what I have here isn't too far off from just being a American Stout or maybe a Foreign Extra Stout. I guess I'm really trying to make a "Semi-Imperial Americanized Dry Irish Stout", lol. Thanks for any help.

I've only got 30-something brews under (and hanging over) my belt, but I'd offer a little input on the hop schedule, having done something similar. I was inspired by Smuttynose RIS, which has a big, freak-nasty hop bomb lurking underneath it's smooth, velvety, and black facade of stouty-ness.

My advice is to be aggressive with the late hops - to compete with (and compliment) the roasty/toastiness of the stout, you may want another addition of similar size at ten and five minutes to really get a tasty, aromatic hop note in there.

I have a recipe that's just finished out and is kegged - waiting to go on gas once I get a spot - that has a very similar idea. Uncarbed, it's exactly what I wanted. Can't wait to pull the first pint!

Thanks for the info Pernox, I think your right about the late addition hops. I'm not sure that one ounce of ekg at 15 minutes will shine through all that roasted grain, should I just increase the 15 minute addition or add another addition at a different time?

I think I'll add the EKG at 15min and 5min, .75oz for each addition. Maybe that will help punch a little hop flavor through all that roasted flavor.

How did this turn out? i am trying to do something around the same lines a Imperial Dry Stout. i was wondering if you had any problems with the body or not drying out enough