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Ne'tra gal

Redirected from Net'ra gal

Ne'tra gal

Food specifications
Physical description	Sticky sweet, black ale^[1]
Chronological information
Era(s)	Old Republic era^[2] Rise of the Empire era^[3] Legacy era^[1]
Affiliation	Mandalorians^[4]

[Source]

"Ah, you're mocking me now, so you are."
"Yeah, maybe I am. I get less mocking with a few mugs of ne'tra gal inside me. I'm told I get sentimental and sloppy, in fact."

―Fenn Shysa and Kal Skirata^[src]

Ne'tra gal, or black ale when translated from the Mando'a language into Galactic Basic Standard, was a traditional Mandalorian alcoholic beverage.^[4] Ne'tra gal earned its name from its dark, black coloration, and was a sticky ale with a sweet taste,^[1] unlike its bitter-tasting contemporary, kri'gee.^[5]

Ne'tra gal could be found on the menus of cantinas across the planet Mandalore, including one in the small town of Enceri, and the ancient Oyu'baat tapcaf in Mandalore's capital city, Keldabe;^[3] the Oyu'baat brewed its own ne'tra gal in house.^[6] Though many residents of the galaxy viewed Mandallian Narcolethe as the Mandalorians' most prominent alcoholic beverage, many Mandalorians preferred ne'tra gal to the Mandallian liquor.^[4]

The veteran Mandalorian soldier Kal Skirata enjoyed ne'tra gal, as did several member's of his clan. When Skirata met with future clan chieftain Fenn Shysa at the Oyu'baat cantina in 19 BBY, to discuss Mandalore's future, they did so over mugs of ne'tra gal.^[3] Weeks after the rise of the Galactic Empire, Skirata stopped into the Oyu'baat with Walon Vau, enjoying glasses of ne'tra gal while debating the appearance of their old Cuy'val Dar associates, Dred Priest and Isabet Reau, as members of the resurgent Death Watch faction.^[7]

Behind the scenesEdit

"By the way, for the true enthusiast - Mando ne'tra gal, or black ale, is not Guinness. It's a milk stout like Mackeson - sweeter, more fragrant, and 3% ABV. As the Mandos would say, ne'tra gal mesh'la, jat'isyc, bal - wayii - jahaal'got; black ale looks good, tastes good, and - by golly - it does you good! For American readers of drinking age, you can buy a slightly stronger version of Mackeson in the USA."

―Karen Traviss^[src]

Ne'tra gal was first introduced to Star Wars canon in the Star Wars Insider article, The Mandalorians: People and Culture, by Karen Traviss. It later made its first true appearance in Traviss' 2008 novel, Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel, and appeared again in it's sequel, Imperial Commando: 501st. Traviss also made use of ne'tra gal in two of her entries into the multi-author novel series, Legacy of the Force, entitled Sacrifice and Revelation. Ne'tra gal also appears in the 2012 BioWare-made MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic.

While the drink originally debuted in the Star Wars Insider article as "net'ra gal", all subsequent appearances by the Mandalorian ale make use of the "ne'tra gal" spelling, including the Mando'a dictionary. Created by Karen Traviss, ne'tra gal was designed as a milk stout or porter.^[4] Though several fans compared the fictional drink to real-life Guinness, on her website, Traviss herself characterizes ne'tra gal as more similar to Mackeson.^[8] The Southern Tier Brewing Company of Lakewood, New York produced a limited release of a beer they called Ne'tra Gal, in honor of the fictional Star Wars drink, describing it as "A hoppy black ale, inspired by those served at the Oyu’baat cantina on Mandalore."^[9]