Het Elfde Gebod

brown bars, i love you. if you’re in amsterdam– don’t be a hooligan and end up at some random trash bar– throw on the monocle and saddle up to one of the many brown bars scattered across the city. why? because the beer is delicious, the genever is tasty, the crowd is the right kind of weird, and the ambience feels like you’re being heavy petted by Dickens. go.

Sehr gemütliche Kneipe. Umfangreiches Biersortiment. Preis und Leistung waren angemessen. Netter Service. Hier kann man gut und gern zu einem Bier einkehren. Sehr gern wieder…

I come here every time I’m in Amsterdam. Excellent beer selection. CJ, the owner, is great. Music is good for relaxing to. This is a true Amsterdam gem.

Absolutely fantastic little cosy beer pub with loads of belgian beers on offer. A variety on tap as well. Friendly staff which is always up for a chat and can recommend beer to your liking.
Highly recommended, always my starting point when visiting Amsterdam.

This is a cozy little bar with a good selection of beers on tap and in bottles along with hard liquor for those who like a little something along with your beer. Be careful when you enter because regulars seem to like to hang out in the entry blocking the way in. If you get confused you’ll end up behind the bar. So when you enter take an immediate left to enter into the customer area. The front area is where the bar is where the drinks are located. The rear has tables and chairs for your lounging pleasure. It’s got a warm cozy feel to it. So hanging out there is really easy to do. This is where mostly locals hang out so if you’re looking for a nice change of venue. This is it.

Leffe on tap! And different kinds of Leffe, score! The place is a little warm, not a lot of ventilation that being said the smokers stand out front and the smoke comes right in. Just thought id mention for those who take smoke free environments for granted. Won’t stop me from visiting. It’s a great place, small intimate. Good for dates, or with a group.

This is where you need to go when you’re in Amsterdam. Why? Because it’s a JEWEL. Most places that you stop off at in the ‘Dam will be pouring pitchers of Heineken, and maybe one or two others. But this place has such an amazing selection of beers, you’ll want to try at least one of everything (which I don’t recommend, because then you’d be dead). But suffice to say, you’ll never have to have the same beer twice. We stopped by here early in the evening for a few drinks, and ended up staying until they closed. A fellow traveller kept us company as we dived face first into beer after beer, and before you could say ‘silly drunk tourists’ we were stumbling out and looking for food.
I love Belgian beers, but they’re not as common in Amsterdam as one might have hoped for. Stopping by this wonderful bar was exactly what I was craving. This was also the night before King’s Day, so it was a bit wild in the city. We were looking for something a little more downtempo, and so this place was perfect. The proprietor was really friendly, as well. I can’t speak on the prices, because honestly by the time the bill came round I was more than a bit wasted. And you know what? Some experiences are worth paying a bit for. This is one of them.

Het Elfde Gebot (The Eleventh Commandment)
1. Thou shalt wees normaal — This is a cozy neighborhood bar so loud drunks need not come hither.
2. Thou shalt explore — HEG has a geWELdig selection of Belgian abbey beers. Don’t forget to check the chalkboard on the back wall!
3. Thou shalt enjoy gezelligeheid — bij HEG, you can enjoy a game of chess, chat with the locals at the bar, or enjoy the window view and table lined with old carpet
4. Thou shalt be courteous to the owner — homegirl at the bar is awesome and keeps things real. Treat her well and she’ll do the same.
5. Thou shalt not be hungry — What better to down your monk-​made beers then with some old cheese and bitterballen? No problem! Just ask and you shall receive!
6. Thou shalt bring cash — no PIN or CCs!
7. Thou shalt remain silent — I almost don’t want to promote this place because I can still come here on a Friday night and sit without bumping into people, so if you enjoy this place, let’s keep it on the DL.
8. Thou shalt have a plan — This places closes at 1am so if the night is still young, you should know what’s close by for more good times (hint hint, Zilt)
9. Thou shalt never wear a winter hat saying AMSTERDAM — sorry… just wanted to put that one in.
10. Thou shalt remain clean — Remember to always wash your hands after taking a tinkle. You should NEVER #2 in a bar fyi.
11. THOU SHALT DRINK BEER AND LOTS OF IT!!!
…said God.

Wanna feel like a Dutch? Wanna drink like a Dutch? Are you sooooo board of noisy tourists and bad music? Then this is your place different beers and a lot of them primarily from Belgium nice jazz music and Dutch atmosphere… Will go again

Good bottled beer selection, warm and friendly atmosphere, but tiny and smokey. The beer selection is listed on a chalk board opposite the bar. Drafts on the left, bottles on the right. It’s all in Dutch, so either know what you want before going in or randomly point like I did. I tried asking the bar tender for a recommendation but it was noisy and she misheard me.
I had a Kasteel Dubbel which was a creamy and dark ale (11%). It was a little strong at first but after the first few sips I enjoyed it.