I was wondering about the origin and history of the word ale.  Here is what I found out.  Let's deal with alcohol first.
This word comes from the Arabic al-kuhl, which originally meant a very fine powder of antimony used as eye makeup. It conveyed the idea of something very fine and subtle, and the Arab alchemists therefore gave the name of al-kuhl to any impalpable powder obtained by sublimation (the direct transformation of a solid into vapor, or the reverse process), and thus to all compounds obtained through the distillation process.

References to the origin and usage of ale.

Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897.

Mr. Douce says the word “ale” is used in such composite words as bride-ale, clerk-ale, church-ale, lamb-ale, Midsummer-ale, Scot-ale, Whitsun-ale, etc., for revel or feast, ale being the chief liquor given.
“The multitude call Church-ale Sunday their revelyng day, which day is spent in bulbeatings, bearbeating, … dicying, … and drunkenness.”—W. Kethe (1570). 

 O.E. ealu "ale, beer," from P.Gmc. *aluth- (cf. O.S. alo, O.N. öl), perhaps from PIE root meaning "bitter" (cf. L. alumen "alum"), or from PIE *alu-t "ale," from base *alu-, a word with connotations of "sorcery, magic, possession, intoxication." The word was borrowed from Gmc. into Lith. (alus) and O.C.S. (olu). Ale and beer were synonymous until growing of hops began in England early 15c.

"[A]t present 'beer' is in the trade the generic name for all malt liquors, 'ale' being specifically applied to the paler coloured kinds, the malt for which has not been roasted or burnt; but the popular application of the two words varies in different localities."  Meaning "festival or merry-meeting at which much ale was drunk" was in O.E. (see bridal). An alehouse (O.E. eala-huse) "is distinguished from a tavern, where they sell wine" [Johnson]. Alewife, a herring-like fish of N.America (1633) named for M.E. word for female tavern keepers, so called in ref. to its large abdomen.

And from Wikipedia... Of the two terms, beer and ale, the latter is the older in English. It is believed to come directly from the proto-Indo European root *alu-, through Germanic *aluþ. The same word is the stem, through borrowing, for Finnish olut and Estonian õlu and the direct root of Swedish öl, Danish and Norwegian øl and Latvian/Lithuanian alus. Beer, on the other hand, is considered to come from the Latin verb bibere (to drink). Old English sources distinguish between "ale" and "beer," but do not define what was meant by "beer" during that period, although there is some speculation that it refers to what would now be called cider, the alcoholic form. The Old English form of "beer" disappeared shortly after the Norman Conquest (in response to the introduction of hops which were still not widely used for another 200 years), and the word re-entered English centuries later, in exclusive reference to hopped malt beverages. The term "ale", until this time referred specifically to unhopped beer although this is no longer the definition of the term. The beverage is termed "cerveza", "cerveja" or a derivative, in the various dialects of Spanish and Portuguese, from Latin cerevisia. Most other Western European (and even some Eastern European such as the Bulgarian "bira") languages use a form similar to the English "beer." The Common Slavic *pivo, literally "beverage", is the word for beer in most Slavic languages, with minor phonetic variations.

Drinking a yard glass full of beer is a traditional pub game. The object is to drink the entire glassful without pausing for breath, and/or to drink it as quickly as possible. The tradition is most often associated with drunken and disorderly tomfoolery in party-like environments. Because of the shape of the glass, once it is raised and the liquid starts to flow, it is difficult to pause. When attempted by the novice, the liquid may flow out in a rush and soak the person holding the glass. To counteract this the glass is usually rotated as it is held.

The "Yard of Ale" is associated with Rugby team rituals, and with the compulsory "drinking of the fish from the bulb of the yard" imposed upon a newly qualified submarine sailor by one's qualified shipmates at a tavern ashore. The glass most probably originated in 17th-century England where the glass was known also as a "Long Glass", a "Cambridge Yard (Glass)" and an "Ell Glass" [1]. Such a glass was a testament to the glassblower's skill as much as the drinker's. The diarist and Fellow of the Royal Society John Evelyn records the formal yet festive drinking of a yard of ale toast to James II at Bromley in Kent, 1683.  Yard glasses can still be found hanging on the walls of some English pubs.

Wikipedia has all the lowdown and  I have extracted some interesting facts below.  This may inspire me to start posting drinking game blogs.  I would love to hear your games please post a comment with them.

The fastest drinking of a yard of ale in the Guinness Book of Records is 5 seconds: Peter Dowdeswell of Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, England, drank a yard of ale containing 2 imperial pints (1.14 litres or 1.20 U.S. quarts) in 5 seconds at RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire on May 4, 1975. [2]  
 Australia and New Zealand

The yard glass has had a significant effect on Australian drinking and popular culture. The ritual of the yard-glass sculling competition (who can empty the contents of the glass the fastest) is predominant in, but not restricted to, Australian "bogan" culture. It is also popular among university students.  Former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke was at one time the world record holder, for fastest sculling of a yard of beer.

It is a popular tradition to receive a yard glass as a gift for coming of age celebrations on one's 18th birthday in Australia and 21st birthday in New Zealand.  The American comedy movie Beerfest features 'Das Boot', a notorious drinking glass (based on the yard glass but shaped like a large boot), which is similarly difficult to drink from and must be rotated in the same way.

Many thanks to the brilliant Wikipedia.