Pabst Blue Ribbon wants bandits to return 50,000 cans of stolen beer, no questions asked
Beer-guzzling bandits made off with over 50,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon, prompting the brand to beg for the truckload’s return, “no questions asked.”
A truck carrying 1,602 cases of PBR — equaling 50,000 cans, or 40,000 pounds of beer — disappeared from an Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, California, on August 17.
The company issued a plea for the beer’s return in an August 21 Instagram post, writing, “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.
“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.”
“This is real and we are deadly serious,” the company added.
The company did not explain its unusual countdown window for the missing shipment’s return, but it may be a nod to 1844, the year Pabst was founded. It was also unclear what kind of reward would be provided for information.
The company said they filed a police report.
In a statement, the Montclair Police Department said it is investigating two cargo thefts reported August 17 at the Anheuser-Busch distribution center, which investigators believe may be related.
The first theft occurred around 10 a.m., when a shipment destined for Tucson, Arizona, was picked up for delivery but never arrived at its intended location.
Authorities said the shipment was valued at approximately $45,000.
About an hour later, police said that someone claiming to be a subcontractor used phony paperwork to arrange the pickup of about $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst Blue Ribbon products.
“Investigators identified similarities between the two incidents and are investigating whether they were committed as part of the same fraudulent cargo-theft operation,” police said.
The incident is under investigation, police said.
Beer enthusiasts in Pabst’s comment section were quick to make jokes about the theft.
“It’s a missing truck of empties and it’s in my driveway,” one user commented on the Instagram post.
“IT WASN’T ME (party at my house tomorrow night 10:00 p.m.,” another user quipped.
“God forbid men have hobbies,” another commenter joked.
