Start by soaking your spelt berries in cold water, overnight.

The next day, start by cooking your spelt with 3 cups of water and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil, over medium high heat and, once it boils, lower the heat, cover and let it simmer for 60 minutes or until the spelt is tender with a slight chew. Reserve.

While the spelt cooks, preheat your oven to 325F degrees.

Pat dry the beef with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven, over medium-high heat, and working in batches, brown the meat on all sides. Remove from pot and reserve.

Lower the heat to medium, and if necessary, add some more olive oil to the pot. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook the onions until soft, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom to release any browned bits.

Once onions are soft, add the brown sugar and cook until the onions smell sweet and look caramelized, 3 to 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour, stir well and cook for about a minute to cook off the raw flour taste.

Add the beer, the reserved beef with its juices, the beef broth, the balsamic vinegar and the herbs. Increase heat to medium-high, bring the stew to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven.

Cook for 1 1/2 hours and then add the spelt with any remaining cooking liquid. Bring the dutch oven to the oven again and keep cooking for 1/2 hour more, or until the beef is fork-tender.

To finish, discard the bay leaves and the herb twigs. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.