Drink ale, imbibing volume before time (8)
I believe the answer is:
beverage
'drink' is the definition.
('beverage' can be a synonym of 'drink')
'ale imbibing volume before time' is the wordplay.
'ale' becomes 'beer' (I've seen this before).
'imbibing' indicates putting letters inside.
'volume' becomes 'v'.
'before' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'time' becomes 'age' (age is a kind of time).
'beer' going around 'v' is 'bever'.
'bever'+'age'='BEVERAGE'
(Other definitions for beverage that I've seen before include "Tea, say" , "Any drink, say a beer" , "Non-alcoholic drink" , "Prepared drink" , "Liquid refreshment" .)