I just brewed a stout that turned out great. Here's the recipe:
4 oz crystal 60
6 oz chocolate malt
9 oz roasted barley
6 lb Amber DME
1 oz Target (11.4%) for 60 mins
.25 oz East Kent Goldings (6.5%) for 15 mins
Wyeast 1098 (fermented at 66F for 8 days)
3 gal boil for a 5 gal batch
OG 1.045
FG 1.010
IBU: 33(calculated)
SRM: 40 (est) 29(calculated)
The color was definitely black, so I don't know what was going on with the low calculated SRM. I think 40 is a low estimate.
It turned out with a noticeable coffee flavor. I enjoyed it, but my wife thought it was a bit much. Certainly not strong, but as she's not a coffee drinker for some strange reason, it stood out to her. I didn't even notice it until she said something. Next time I'm going to dial the chocolate malt back to 4 oz.
You can use pretty much any Irish or most British yeast and get similar results. I want to brew it again, but use Wyeast 1084.
If you're going to use pale malt extract, make sure to boil as large a volume as you can, ideally a full volume boil. Top off water dilutes color and bitterness. If not possible, try to add a an oz or so more of roasted barley.
I use extra light DME for almost all brews. You can achieve almost any color or flavor with speciality grains. The only thing I have trouble with is that complex malt character in British bitters.