OK, here's the update after a tasting yesterday....
The beer was brewed on the 21st. By the 26th it had reached 1.010 so I sealed the fermenter and crashed it to 35F. After 2 days, the yeast had dropped and the beer was crystal clear. I'm finding one of the advantages of a low gravity beer is that it ferments fast!
I put about 12 oz. in a 20 oz. PET bottle, attached a carbonator cap and hit it with 30 psi. Since the beer was already at 35 it only took a couple hours til it was carbed and ready.
Overall, it was closer to what I had in mind than I expected. The 1450 left a decent mouthfeel even for a low gravity beer. The body was a bit thin, but not bad. The toastiness of the Special Roast came through, and I can't decide if that's a good thing or not. It did enhance the flavor, but I think maybe it also contributed to the perception of thin body. The hops didn't come through as much as I would have thought but at least the Chinook I used for "bittering" at 20 min., didn't seem harsh or overpowering. I'd say the beer didn't suck!
For the next iteration I'm gonna make a few changes all at once. Yeah, I know I always tell people not to do that, but what good are rules if you can't break them! Besides, I think I have a good idea of what they'll do and what will account for what. So here's the plan....I'm gonna sub in a lb. of Great Western Munich 10L for a lb. of base malt. I'm hoping that will bump up the malt flavor some, which wasn't too bad already. I'll also raise the mash temp to 163 to see if it increases the body. I'll leave the Special Roast for now, although it may not play nice with the Munich. Hop schedule will remain the same.
I hope to have time to brew this sometime next. The week after that I'm off to Yakima for Hop and Brew School at Hop Union, so I probably won't report on this version (v2) until after the 12th. Stay tuned!