Heat oil in the bottom of a medium-sized heavy pot or Dutch oven, in the pot of your pressure-cooker, or in a large skillet.

Once warm, add onion and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent.

Add any fresh peppers and cook for 3 more minutes.

Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt and cook for 2 minutes, until browned and deeply fragrant.

Add beer and scrape up any bits stuck to the pot. Boil until reduced by half.

If finishing on the stove: Add tomatoes, dried beans, and the smaller amount of water. Bring mixture to a full boil and boil for one minute, then reduce heat to a very low, gentle simmer, place a lid on your pot, and cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the beans are tender.

If finishing in a slow-cooker: Scrape onion, spice and beer mixture into a slow-cooker and add tomatoes, dried beans, and the smaller amount of water. Cook on HIGH for 6 to 7 hours, until beans are tender.

If finishing in a pressure-cooker: Follow the directions from your pressure cooker manufacturer, estimating 20 to 22 minutes on high.

Using canned beans instead: 1 ½ cups dried beans will yield approximately 3 to 3 ¾ cups of cooked ones. To use canned or already-cooked beans instead, you’ll want to use 2 to 3 15-ounce cans of cooked beans and then — this is important — skip the water. Simmer all of the ingredients except the drained and rinsed beans for 20 minutes, then add the beans and simmer it 10 minutes more. If the mixture looks dry, add ¼ cup water and simmer for another few minutes.

Serve as-is or with fixings of your choice.