I like them on the drier side for sure, with a fairly supportive malt backbone, but the hop bitterness and hop flavor/aroma absolutely must be fresh and the showcase of the beer. My favorite color for an IPA is in the range of 6-8SRM.
Ron,
That's my tastes too. How do you achieve the 'fairly supportive' malt backbone? What kind of BU:GU ratio are you shooting for?
-Amanda
I think a 1.25:1 is a good target, but keep in mind that your specific hop schedule plays a significant factor. In other words a 1.25:1 BU:GU ratio with >90% of your IBU's added at 60min vs. 60% of your IBU's at 60 min will mitigate or offset maltiness with bitterness. Try 1.25:1 with 75% of your IBU's at 60min and go from there.