40,000 Lbs. of Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Worth $25,000 Stolen, as Company Offers Reward for Missing Brew

A total of 40,000 lbs. of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer was stolen from a California distribution center on Aug. 17. The brewing company is offering a reward to recover the missing alcohol, and police are investigating possible links between the theft and another from the same day.

NEED TO KNOW

A total of 40,000 lbs. of Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) beer was stolen from a California distribution center on Aug. 17

The brewing company is offering a reward to help recover the missing beer, which police say is worth approximately $25,000

Authorities are investigating possible links between the theft and another fraudulent cargo pickup that happened the same day

Twenty tons of Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) beer have gone missing — and the brewing company is taking matters into its own hands.

About $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch/Pabst Blue Ribbon product went missing in Montclair, Calif., on Monday, Aug. 17, the Montclair Police Department (MPD) said in a news release.

The lager was lifted from the Anheuser-Busch distribution center in the city at around 11:00 a.m. local time, an hour after a different, but potentially connected theft, occurred there, police said.

The occurrence could mark the biggest beer heist ever, according to ABC 11.

After news of the PBR heist broke, the Wisconsin-based company began posting about it on social media, asking the beer thief or thieves to come forward — and even offering a reward.

On Aug. 21, the official PBR Instagram account shared a poster of one of its cargo trucks emblazoned with text reading, “STOLEN.”

At the bottom of the post, more text read: “HELP US FIND OUR MISSING TRUCK FULL OF BEERS!”

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“To the thief: we don’t fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have, we just wish you obtained it the honorable way,” the company wrote in the caption.

“Pabst is officially starting the clock now — you have exactly 18 days and 44 minutes to return our truckload of beer, no questions asked,” PBR continued. “Leading up to that time, we will be offering a reward to anyone who can help us solve this mystery. P.s. this is real and we are deadly serious.”

The MPD clarified in a statement to The New York Times that no vehicle, just beer, was stolen in the Aug. 17 incident.

“We are working this case, but no trucks were stolen,” the department told the outlet. “Just the cargo.”

PBR has since continued to post about its missing “truckload.” On Aug. 25, the brewing company shared another poster on Instagram, this time for a “MISSING TRUCK.”

“Beer is getting warmer, trail is getting colder. Clock’s still ticking,” the company wrote in the caption. “If you think you saw our truckload of beer, snap a photo and tag us… or DM us with any info on its whereabouts.”

PEOPLE has reached out to PBR for an update. The MPD could not be reached for comment on Saturday, Aug. 30.

A company spokesperson said in a statement to ABC 11 that PBR is “working with the local authorities to try and recover the stolen truck and are grateful for all their hard work.”

“We hope that whoever managed to steal our truck also knows the importance of keeping beer cold,” they added.

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As the brewing company continues its search for the missing beer, the MPD is investigating whether the PBR heist and preceding theft are related.

The PBR product “was obtained after a purported subcontracting company submitted fraudulent documentation to arrange the pickup,” according to the MPD. A different, Arizona-bound shipment, valued at about $45,000, was also picked up at 10:00 a.m. the same day, but never arrived at its destination, according to the department.

“Investigators identified similarities between the two incidents and are investigating whether they were committed as part of the same fraudulent cargo-theft operation,” the MPD said. “Information provided regarding the trucking company, driver, and vehicles involved contained discrepancies and is currently being investigated.”

The department said, “Anyone with information regarding the incidents, vehicles, driver, delivery company, or missing cargo is encouraged to contact the Montclair Police Department at 909-621-4771.”

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