Marinate the beef with the beer, the garlic, the bay leaves and a pinch of salt for at least two hours, or overnight.
Drain the beef and reserve the marinade. Pat dry the beef with paper towels.
In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil until pipping hot. Fry the beef in batches, until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the beef cubes and reserve.
In the same dutch oven, fry the bacon until golden and crisp. Reserve with the beef.
Add the onions, a pinch of salt and fry in the bacon grease, until caramelized (around 10 minutes).
Add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes until the flour is cooked and the onions are coated.
Add the beef broth and scrape the bits stuck in the bottom. Add the reserved marinade, the beef, the bacon and the thyme.
Cook for 1.5 hours.
Add the brown sugar, the parsley, some fresh pepper and the mustard. Cook for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top and serve with fries.