Cool schooey,
I think this is more what im after though:
http://www.stonebrew.com/sublimely/
Its black, its got a faceful of hops, you know its got dark malts in it from the colour, you can taste them, but it does not in any way detract from the qualities of an IPA.
I think the key may be the whole idea i have with carafa (for smoothnes and colour) and a pinch of roast barley to give the mild impression of uber dark malts and the push the colour over the edge. The small amount of roast may give that smoky quality that everyone seems to rave about with their reviews of said beer.
Hopefully the carafa mailny bulks up the nuttiness of the malt and there is enough backbone there to support the hops.
It will either be a complete success or an utter failure. Either way it will be full of US hops so im sure i will consume it quickly.