This Week In Brew News

From professional beer pong to a beer recipe from ancient Egypt, these are the stories piquing the interest of beer-lovers everywhere this week. 

• Beer Pong Gets Competitive: The best and brightest talent in the "sport" of competative beer pong are gathering in Altantic City this week for the World Pong Tour Championship. Ironically, the cups used in this competition are filled with water instead of beer — you know, to keep things professional.

• Resurrecting An Ancient Brew: Archaeologist Patrick McGovern is working with Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head to recreate a thousands-year old Egyptian ale recipe. 

• Americans Consume A Whole Lot of Beer: According to Ad Age's Leading National Advertisers Report, beer was the most-consumed alcoholic beverage among Americans in 2010, ranking third overall behind carbonated soft drinks and bottled water. The study concludes that the average American drank nearly 21 gallons (equivalent to 138 pints) of beer.

• Kölsch, A Great Summertime Brew: Eric Asimov espouses the joy of enjoying properly served Kölsch ale in the summer. He also shares tips on where to find the best brews and explores Kölsch's Germanic origins. 

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.