Pabst Brewing Company is offering a cash reward for the return of tens of thousands of cans of its Blue Ribbon beer, stolen from its southern California warehouse two weeks ago. The company announced the reward in Instagram posts, putting the weight of the stolen cargo at 40,000 pounds (18,000kg) and starting a countdown for its safe return.
“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. “Pabst is officially starting the clock now - you have exactly 18 days and 44 minutes to return our truckload of beer, no questions asked. Leading up to that time, we will be offering a reward to anyone who can help us solve this mystery.”
It added: “P.s. this is real and we are deadly serious.”
Two separate heists at Anheuser-Busch distribution center
According to Montclair police, two separate thefts occurred on 17 August at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, about 37 miles (59.5km) east of Los Angeles. Police said on Friday that investigators were trying to determine whether the incidents were part of a single fraudulent cargo-theft operation.
In the first heist, about $45,000 worth of beer headed to Tucson, Arizona, was picked up but never delivered, police said. An hour later, a “purported subcontracting company” submitted fake documents to pick up another $25,000 worth of beer, according to a Montclair police news release.
Roughly 34,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer – more than 1,500 cases – were stolen, according to a police report obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
How the theft occurred and the company's response
Paul Myers, the senior director of integrated marketing operations for Pabst, told CBS News that police had discovered “it was just a bad actor essentially who came in and pretended to be the person who was supposed to pick up the beer. It wasn’t the person who was supposed to pick up the beer, and then they drove off with it.”
Myers said the company was offering a cash reward equal to half the value of the product stolen. He added that Pabst ultimately wants its truck back.
The company initially took a humorous approach to finding the missing beer on social media, posting that the “beer is getting warmer, trail is getting colder,” before subsequently taking a more serious tone, asking for help locating the truck.
Social media reactions and investigation status
In the comments of Pabst's Instagram posts, KitKat US chimed in: “I know a thing or two about these kinds of things.” In March, a truck carrying about 12 tons of KitKat’s new Formula 1 range chocolate bars was pilfered from a truck in Italy.
As the Los Angeles Times noted, Montclair police did not issue a statement about the heist for over a week after it happened. The thefts, valued by police at $70,000, have been turned into a lighthearted social media promotion by Pabst Blue Ribbon.
Police are continuing to investigate whether the two heists are connected and are working to locate the stolen beer and the truck. The reward offer remains in effect, with Pabst urging anyone with information to come forward.
