1-Soak the navy beans overnight: in water covering them by about 3 inches, then drain. As an alternative, cover the beans with water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, and soak for 1 hour before draining.

2-In a large pot, combine the soaked beans with 6 cups of broth or water. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour.

3-In a separate pan, cook the bacon slices until crisp, then coarsely chop and set aside, reserving the rendered fat in the pan.

4-In the same pan with the bacon fat, cook the diced onion, bell pepper, and minced garlic until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes; set aside.

5-In a bowl, whisk together the root beer, ketchup, barbecue sauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, salt, chili powder, and black pepper to create the sauce.

6-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

7-In an oven-safe pot, combine the simmered beans with their liquid, the cooked onion mixture, chopped bacon, and the prepared sauce.

8-Cover the pot and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Stir the mixture, then reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F, uncover, and bake for 1 hour.

9-Replace the lid, reduce the temperature to 250 degrees F, and continue cooking for an additional 2 hours, or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened. If the sauce becomes too thick, add more broth or water as needed, and adjust seasoning to taste.

10-Serve the beans warm.