Ne'tra gal

"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^[1]

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,^[3] 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;^[1] 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, a large number of Mandalorians preferred ne'tra gal to the Mandallian liquor.^[4]

History[]

"Let's see how much black ale my replacement can put away!"

―Mandalore the Vindicated, regarding the newest Grand Champion of the Great Hunt^[7]

Drinks with Mandalore — Mandalore the Vindicated drinking a mug of *ne'tra gal* on board his cruiser.

Mandalore the Vindicated, leader of the Mandalorian clans during the time of the Cold War, was a notable ne'tra gal drinker. Upon the induction of new members to his clan, the Mand'alor would celebrate with several mugs of the black ale.^[7]

The veteran Mandalorian soldier Kal Skirata also enjoyed ne'tra gal, as did several members of his clan. When Skirata met with 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. Days later, after Shysa accepted the then vacant position of Mand'alor, ne'tra gal was said to be flowing in abundance at a celebration held at the Oyu'baat.^[1] 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.^[8]

The Sheb Niktose cantina on Vlemoth Port, located within the Mandalorian settlement of Arumorut, served mugs of ne'tra gal for six credits each. During the Galactic Civil War, Arumorut resident Teroch could be found on occasion at the Sheb Niktose, drinking ne'tra gal with his Mandalorian peers.^[2]

In the year 40 ABY, after the elderly Mandalorian Gotab read a series of memories from a heart-of-fire gemstone belonging to the lost Sintas Vel at the Oyu'baat cantina, Vel's granddaughter Mirta Gev offered to buy the old man a glass of ne'tra gal, though he cordially declined. The Oyu'baat's owner instead provided two fresh glasses of the black ale for Gev and her grandfather, Boba Fett.^[6] Months later, in 41 ABY, dozens of Mandalorians packed the Oyu'baat to drink ne'tra gal and watch the galactic bolo-ball tournament.^[3]

Behind the scenes[]

"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^[9]

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, Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, entitled Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice and Legacy of the Force: 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,"^[4] 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.^[9] 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."^[10]