The perfect way I had brewed ale (5)

I believe the answer is:

ideal

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'the perfect' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'i had brewed ale' is the wordplay.
'i had' becomes 'id' (I'd).
'brewed' indicates anagramming the letters.
'ale' is an anagram of 'eal'.
'id'+'eal'='IDEAL'

'way' acts as a link.
This may not be correct. It may belong to another bit of the clue.

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(Other definitions for ideal that I've seen before include "Conceptual" , "An - - Husband (Wilde)" , "Best possible" , "Model of excellence (5)." , "Optimum" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.

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