Three Russets

The perfect Thanksgiving Cider is Golden Russet!

The Golden Russet has origins in Upstate New York and was a popular apple in the past for eating as well as for juice and cider making. It fell out of fashion decades ago as more cosmetically appealing apples took over the grocery store bins.

You can still find old groves of Golden Russet throughout the Northeast and it is now being planted once again for use in cider making. At Smith Brothers Farms we have planted a new, large grove of these exciting apples.

While most culinary and even cider apples have a juice Brix range of from 12-17, some of our russets are yielding juice at over 20 Brix! This high sugar apple is also well balanced with acid and has a distinctive, almost citrusy flavor.

On the orchard we have three old, original russets that escaped being ripped out for prettier apples like Rome and Honeycrisp. These trees are the inspiration for a new, 100% Golden Russet cider that we call “Three Russets”. This rich and strong cider is perfectly suited to your Thanksgiving table. The relatively high acid and strong ABV (10%) of the cider pairs well with turkey and some of the richer sides on your table. It is the perfect bottle to crack at the beginning of your feast.

As the meal and conversation continue you can downshift to the lower ABV ciders, Silver Tip or Mr. Green – also perfect companions to poultry and rich sides.