Hop Back Entire Stout

Lately, I'm really digging the subtlety of English beers, particularly maltier ones. This is a particularly lovely stout--exceptionally balanced and drinkable. It's quite dark, but light can definitely be seen through it--several shades paler than the Smutty Porter I drank the other day. Nice retentive head. The nose blends green, leafy Goldings with sharper coffee flavors and deep, black, high-cacao chocolate. Sort of like a dry, Irish stout, it's relatively light and freshing on the palate--no heaviness or noticeable dextrins, but some firm tannins that grasp your mouth and guide the beer through. A hell of a lot more interesting than Guinness.

This would be a nice set of attibutes to shoot for. Something like this probably has a decent amount of flaked barley, some carastan to richen up the base, nice hops, and just a moderate dose of roast barley. Keep it simple, right?