Requires dense brew (5)
I believe the answer is:
needs
'requires' is the definition.
('need' can be a synonym of 'require')
'dense brew' is the wordplay.
'brew' is an anagram indicator.
'dense' anagrammed gives 'NEEDS'.
(Other definitions for needs that I've seen before include "Requires, is in want of" , "shopping-list, say" , "Misses" , "What we require" , "Necessities" .)