Aspects of the disclosure include a method for tracking the quality of a beverage produced according to a batch process that includes adding ingredients to water to form a batch, measuring the density of the batch in real time using an in-line density device, monitoring changes in density of the batch, detecting deviations from the batch process based on the changes in density, and correcting for any detected deviations from the batch process in real time. Other aspects of the disclosure relate to a method of detecting inhomogeneity in real time for a batch process for producing a beverage. Other aspects of the disclosure include a method of tracking addition of ingredients for producing a beverage in a batch process includes sequentially adding a plurality of ingredients to water according to a standard recipe to form a batch and correcting for any detected deviations from the recipe in real time.