Gather all ingredients and prepare your workstation.

Mix brown sugar and warm water until dissolved. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let sit for 10 minutes.

Add melted butter and beer to the yeast mixture and whisk until combined. Add bread flour and salt, kneading until a dough ball forms.

Grease a bowl with butter, place dough in the bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size—about 8 hours or overnight.

Punch down the dough and knead briefly; let rise again for 2 to 3 hours.

Prepare baking soda bath by baking soda in an oven-safe dish at 300°F (150°C) for 1 hour. Combine with hot water to dissolve, strain if necessary.

Divide dough into 8 equal parts, roll into balls, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Shape each ball into pretzels, ensuring the characteristic twisted design.

Submerge each pretzel in the baking soda bath for 20-30 seconds, then transfer to a greased parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with large-grain sea salt.

Let pretzels rise for another 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C). Score each pretzel with a razor or sharp knife.

Bake pretzels for 12 minutes until well browned. Transfer to a cooling rack to rest for 5-10 minutes.