Pabst Brewing Company announced on social media that a truckload of its Blue Ribbon beer was stolen from a California distribution centre, offering a reward for its safe return.
In a stark post titled STOLEN, the company stated that the thief was merely wishing to brag about their “PBR” haul, and that the company was “deadly serious” about the incident.
Police say the theft involved an Anheuser‑Busch distribution centre in Montclair, where the alleged thief used false paperwork to claim a shipment worth $25,000 destined for San Diego, taking 40,000 lbs of beer.
That same day, a second theft of a shipment worth $45,000 headed for Tucson, Arizona, was reported, raising questions about a coordinated fraud operation. Police noted similarities between the two incidents, including discrepancies in the trucking company, driver and vehicle details.
Pabst’s spokesperson emphasised that the “bad actor” pretended to be the authorised pickup person, taking the beer and not returning it, while the company underscored the seriousness of the crime with a bold social‑media message.
In a final push, Pabst offered a reward for the return of the shipment and set an exact deadline of 18 days and 44 minutes for the thief to return the beer, a numerical nod to the company’s founding year of 1844.
