Tarisian ale was an extremely strong alcoholic beverage brewed on Taris. It was one of the planet's main exports. The ale was made from the glands of a tach, and because of the need for tach gland, there were substantial imports of tach glands from Kashyyyk. Consuming just one was enough to intoxicate, or even incapacitate, inexperienced drinkers or even experienced drinkers who were having their first Tarisian ale.
Perhaps for that reason, it was popular amongst the Sith troops who occupied Taris during the Jedi Civil War. Many of the Sith that purchased this drink may have used it as a way to forget the pressures of Sith life at the barracks in the Tarisian military base, which was described as "boring" by several of the Sith stationed there.
The drink ceased to be produced after the planetary bombardment of Taris in 3956 BBY, due to the fact that few off-worlders knew how to make it, although Griff Vao claimed to have the recipe, and hoped to monopolize the drink after Taris was destroyed.
By the year 40 ABY, Tarisian ale had made a comeback, being served at the Horizon Hotel in the Upper City. Patrons, such as the veteran Mandalorian soldier Goran Beviin, could order mugs of Tarisian ale at the hotel bar, in addition to bowls of deep-fried coin-crabs.
Tarisian ale was first introduced to the Star Wars universe via a mention in BioWare's 2003 role-playing video game, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, before later appearing in full in "Shadows and Light," a 2005 story published in the twenty-third issue of the Star Wars Tales comic book series. Tarisian ale appeared again in the second entry in the multi-author Star Wars: Legacy of the Force novel series, Bloodlines, written by Karen Traviss and published August 29, 2006.