by Jim Servin
A wellness-focused approach to living has given actor-director-producer George Clooney, nightlife entrepreneur Rande Gerber and businessman Michael Meldman incentive to create a new product, the long-elusive, holy grail of libations: a truly cool, clean, crisp nonalcoholic beer. With full-bodied flavor, Crazy Mountain nonalcoholic beer stands tall on its own mojo.
Clooney, a one-time basketball fanatic, has traded hoops for the tennis court and Bikram yoga, stating that these activities go easier on the body while still demanding stamina and speed. Gerber begins his day with a visit to the gym or the ocean, mixing morning workouts with mountain biking, pickleball, stand-up paddleboarding or hiking, and ending with a sauna or a cold plunge.
“I’m living a healthier lifestyle, and so is George. When we sold Casamigos we were done with that, we were finished,” Gerber says, referring to the now-famous billion-dollar transfer to Diageo in 2017 of the company owned by Clooney, Gerber and Discovery Land Company founder and chair Michael Meldman. “Casamigos started with George and I drinking tequila and wanting to create one just for ourselves. Once again, we decided to create a beverage on our own, and came up with the right formula.”
“We love beer; we just don’t always want the effects that come with it,” says Clooney.
What exactly is Crazy Mountain? Think big. “It’s about living wide open,” Gerber says. “Everyone has that crazy mountain in them, whether it’s riding the biggest wave, or riding the bull for seven seconds, whether it’s climbing the highest mountain or creating a brand. People think I’m crazy creating another brand—I guess that’s my crazy mountain.”
Surging more than 30 percent in sales since 2021, nonalcoholic beer accounts for the majority of growth in the low-to-no alcohol category, according to the Brewers Association. The numbers are predicted to continue to climb, and possibly surpass, sales of traditional ales. Surveys show that younger consumers, especially Gen Z, are cutting back on alcohol consumption or avoiding it altogether, while still craving beverages that feel sophisticated and adult. “I think a lot more people are microdosing,” says Gerber. “They don’t want to have alcohol in their systems, and feel bad the next day. The new way of socializing is at a gym or at a Remedy Place, doing saunas and cold plunges, or playing padel. I hope Crazy Mountain helps the movement toward a more health-conscious generation.”
The genesis for the friends’ newest labor of love began while socializing with musicians in Nashville: “We were sitting around drinking beer,” Gerber recalls, “and it took me a while to notice it was nonalcoholic beer—I thought, Wow, this is actually pretty good. I thought it was just a light beer.”
A spark was lit, and suddenly Gerber, Clooney and Meldman were off on a new adventure. “I’m very creative, and I’m always thinking, What’s next?” says Gerber. With Crazy Mountain, an aura of desirability was infused into the nonalcoholic beer genre, which up until then had a somewhat unassuming image compared to traditional brew. A higher profile was achieved through stellar packaging, featuring portraits of playful, dynamic, modern-day Marlboro men dashing across the West. “I already had in my mind what I wanted the cans to look like,” says Gerber. “I just wanted supercool images that could connect with people, first of all, so you could feel good holding that can in your hand. I hired a photographer who was a cowboy, and he hired a bunch of his friends who are world-professional cowboys, as models. It’s all about authenticity.”
Authenticity extends to taste. Available in original lager as well as lime, Crazy Mountain passes the flavor test: “I wanted it to taste like beer,” Gerber states. “You don’t even know that there’s no alcohol in Crazy Mountain. Some of the nonalcoholic beers taste a bit watered down, because they go through a process of stripping it down and removing the alcohol. With the yeast that we use, we never hit the temperature where it will turn into alcohol. So, it’s more bold-tasting.”
The benefits of reduced alcohol intake are being embraced through the generations, a sea change noted by Gerber, his wife, model-businesswoman Cindy Crawford, and their two children, models Presley, 26, and Kaia, 24: “My kids don’t drink much. They’ll sit with their friends and maybe have a nonalcoholic beer or not drink at all,” Gerber says. “I love that. You can’t argue with the health-conscious movement. I listen to my kids. What are they doing? What do they want? There was a pretty unanimous, Yeah, we just want to be more healthy. If I’m going out to the gym in the morning, I love that I’m seeing 20-something-year-olds working out, which you typically wouldn’t see then, but now you really do.”
In 2021, Clooney and wife, human rights lawyer Amal, moved to a 425-acre wine estate in Provence in the South of France, where with twin 8-year-olds, Alexander and Ella, they enjoy a quiet life and healthy eating prepared by the family’s chef—dishes like gnocchi with pesto, risotto, sushi and Indian meals. Meldman “lives in his plane,” Gerber jokes.
While Clooney, Gerber and Meldman have not completely sworn off alcohol, they like how their lives are trending toward enhanced wellness, with Crazy Mountain nonalcoholic beer leading the way. “I still drink, but I don’t drink a lot,” Gerber says. “I think it’s more just limiting the alcohol intake for some people, and understanding that you can have a great time without alcohol—actually a much better time, because you wake up in the morning feeling great. For me, it’s more about the ritual of cracking open a cold one and holding a beer and hanging out with friends, just the camaraderie of it all.”
–With reporting by Cristina Cuomo