Improving my first AG beer (IPA)

[TravelingLight]

This is my third beer overall, and my first AG beer. I need a break from hops so I'm doing a saison next, but this beer turned out pretty damn well and one that I will absolutely make again in the future. But I'd like to tweak it some for future batches. And I need y'all's sage advice.

Grain:
12# 2-Row
1.5# Wheat
0.5# Sugar

Hops:
1 oz. Nugget @60
1 oz. Cascade @10
2 oz. Citra @0
2 oz. Nelson @WP
2 oz. Citra @DH
4 oz. Nelson @DH
1 oz. Citra leaf keg hop

Yeast: GigaYeast Vermont IPA

Mashed at 152 for 60 minutes

OG: 1.056
FG: 1.008

Flavor is pretty spot on. Great fermentation, no yeasties or off-flavors from yeast (side note: I honestly don't know what these taste like so I have no frame of reference, however I shared a bottle with a local brewmaster I'm buddies with and he said no yeasties, sweet!). The nose is getting better. I wanted more hop punch than my first two beers, so I went to a closed transfer from carboy to keg on this one and it seems to have made a world of difference with hop nose.

But here's where I want to tweak it...
1) It's like as hell. It looks like a pale. This doesn't bother me that much. Especially since it's without question the clearest beer I've ever made (moss in the boil, cold crash and gelatin). But I'm interested in ways of darkening this beer up some without affecting the flavor profile very much. A buddy of mine mentioned Carafa II?

2) The body/mouthfeel is a little thin for a 6+% IPA. I'd like to beef up the body a bit without, again, affecting the flavor profile too much. This might not be possible. But it leads to my final tweak...

3) I want better head (don't we all??) retention. Beer is nice and carbed and gives a good head when I pour from the tap. But it doesn't stick around very long. I'd love to add something for better head retention. Maybe some oats??

Thanks for sticking with me through this rambling. Hope you guys can offer some great advice. Cheers.

ETA: Mash specifics above.

 

[Rosmucman]

You could mash at a little higher temp
Would help with FG
And a little carapils would help with head retention

 

[TravelingLight]

You could mash at a little higher temp
Would help with FG
And a little carapils would help with head retention

Thanks. Wouldn't mashing higher result in more unfermentable sugars, and therefore a lower ABV? I don't want to lower the ABV. But I can see where that would give a fuller bodied beer with more mouthfeel.

 

[atom]

Thanks. Wouldn't mashing higher result in more unfermentable sugars, and therefore a lower ABV? I don't want to lower the ABV. But I can see where that would give a fuller bodied beer with more mouthfeel.

yes, but you could up your base malt to compensate and give you the same ABV.

 

[TravelingLight]

yes, but you could up your base malt to compensate and give you the same ABV.

Ahh great points!