Everything I've brewed so far has been Extract from Northern Brewer...Bourbon Porter, Sinistral Warrior IPA, Black IPA, Nut Brown Ale, and RyePA. All turned out stellar, but I also never followed the instructions completely...I add something or fiddle with it somehow. as for a the carbing issue, I'm not sure what you mean...I just add a 5oz bag of corn sugar with 16oz of waater and boil. seems to work every time!
oops, I also did a Rogue Dead Guy batch that we bought a LHBS in Sioux Falls, it was the one that Rogue puts their name on...I think it's Craft Brew USA or something like that. That one might be one of my favorites, we tried it as a blind side by side and everyone picked our batch over the pros!