Cut the beef into 1 ½ inch chunks. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper and set it aside.
In a dutch oven, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove it from the pan, crumble and set aside but leave the bacon fat in the pan.
Brown the beef by putting a little in the dutch oven at a time. As the pieces brown, remove them to a plate. Again, leave the fat in the pan.
Sauté the onion for 5 minutes, add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in the flour, and cook until this turns golden.
Add the beer, and use a wooden spoon to gently scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the dutch oven.
Whisk in the broth and tomato paste, until incorporated.
Add the beef and bacon back to the pan.
Stir in carrots, celery, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook it covered for 2 hours, Then remove the lid and allow it to simmer for another 30 minutes so it can thicken up a bit.
Remove the bay leaf before serving.
ENJOY!
