In brief
Pabst Brewing Company announced the theft of a truckload of its iconic PBR beer from an Anheuser‑Busch distribution centre in Montclair, California. The haul, worth $25,000, weighed 40,000 lbs (18,144 kg) and was destined for San Diego. Pabst is offering an unspecified reward for the safe return of the shipment, framing the theft as a ‘ridiculous’ crime and demanding the thief return the beer within 18 days and 44 minutes. Police are investigating whether a separate, earlier theft from the same site was part of a single fraudulent cargo‑theft operation. The company’s social media post underscores its seriousness, urging the perpetrator to return the beer or face the penalty of no questions asked.
Pabst Brewing Company has used social media to seek help locating a truckload of its Blue Ribbon beer that was stolen from a distribution centre in California. The shipment, weighing 40,000 pounds (18,144 kilograms), was destined for San Diego and was valued at about $25,000.
In the company’s post, it condemned the “STOLEN” act and added a sardonic note, saying it would not fault a thief who bragged about the haul but that it would demand the beer returned through the “honourable” route. Pabst said it is “deadly serious” about the incident and is offering an unspecified reward for the safe return of the shipment.
Police report confirm the theft in Montclair was the second on the same day from the same Anheuser‑Busch centre. The earlier theft involved a $45,000 shipment bound for Tucson, Arizona, that was never delivered after a brief period. Investigators are probing a potential single fraud operation and have noted discrepancies in the trucking company information used in both incidents.
Anheuser‑Busch, although a separate contractor, brews Pabst Blue Ribbon beer under contract. It remains unclear if the Arizona-bound shipment also contained PBR.
A company spokesperson told the BBC’s US partner that the theft was carried out by “a bad actor who pretended to be the intended transporter of the beer.”
In a firm statement, Pabst highlighted the seriousness of the theft and used the number 18 days, 44 minutes as a nod to the year of its founding, 1844. The company announced that the thief had exactly that window to return the beer “no questions asked.”
