40,000 pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer stolen in California as police investigate $70,000 cargo theft

A truck carrying roughly 40,000 pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer has disappeared in California, prompting a police investigation into what authorities believe could be part of a larger cargo theft operation.

The unusual case unfolded on Aug. 17 at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, where investigators say two suspicious cargo pickups took place within about an hour of each other. The combined value of the stolen beer and other alcohol products is estimated at approximately $70,000, according to Fox News.

Pabst Blue Ribbon has since confirmed that its truck and shipment were stolen—and has responded to the theft with an unusual public appeal to whoever has the beer.

Pabst gives alleged thief a bizarre deadline

Rather than limiting its response to a conventional missing-cargo notice, Pabst addressed the person responsible directly.

The beer company acknowledged that possessing a truckload of PBR might seem like something worth bragging about, but said it would have preferred the haul had been obtained “the honorable way,” according to Fox News.

Pabst then gave the alleged thief 18 days and 44 minutes to bring the truck and beer back, promising there would be no questions asked.

The company also announced a reward for information that helps solve the case, although it has not publicly disclosed the amount.

The unusually precise deadline quickly became part of the story, with many social media users questioning whether the entire episode could somehow be an elaborate marketing campaign.

Pabst later addressed those suspicions directly.

“To clear up the confusion, this story is real,” the company said in a follow-up post, according to Fox News.

Police suspect two thefts could be connected

Montclair police are investigating two separate cargo theft incidents reported at the distribution center on Aug. 17.

In the first case, a shipment valued at approximately $45,000 was collected for delivery to Tucson, Arizona, at around 10 a.m. local time. The shipment was supposed to continue to its destination but never arrived, police said, as reported by Fox News.

Roughly an hour later, another alleged theft occurred.

Investigators said a company claiming to be a subcontractor presented fraudulent documentation and arranged to collect about $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst Blue Ribbon products.

Police subsequently found discrepancies involving the trucking company information, the driver and the vehicles associated with the pickups.

Those inconsistencies have led investigators to believe the incidents may have been connected to the same organized cargo theft scheme, according to Fox News.

Where did the beer truck go?

For now, authorities have not publicly identified a suspect or disclosed where the truck and its enormous beer shipment might have ended up.

Police have also provided limited information about exactly how the truck was taken.

It remains unclear whether the entire shipment is still together or whether the beer has already been divided up and distributed.

Pabst has urged members of the public to be alert for the missing truck. The company joked that the beer was getting warmer as the investigation continued and asked anyone who believes they have spotted the vehicle to take a photograph and contact the brand.

According to Fox News, people with information can also send Pabst a direct message.

Social media turns missing beer into a joke

The strange nature of the case has naturally attracted plenty of humor online.

One commenter joked that the shipment would have weighed only 20,000 pounds if it had been Pabst Light. Another wondered whether the reward offered by Pabst might simply consist of the beer itself.

The verified Kit Kat account also joined the conversation, referencing another bizarre cargo theft involving its products.

In March, a truck carrying about 12 tons of limited-edition Formula 1-themed KitKat bars was reportedly stolen in Italy. Kit Kat's comment appeared to draw a playful connection between the two cases, Fox News reported.

Another social media user offered a simpler theory for what might happen to such a huge quantity of missing beer: someone could be preparing for a very large house party.

Police ask public to help find stolen shipment

Despite the jokes surrounding the case, authorities are treating the disappearance as a serious cargo theft investigation.

Montclair police are asking anyone with information about the stolen shipments, the vehicles involved, the driver, the delivery company or the missing cargo to come forward.

The Montclair Police Department can be reached at 909-621-4771, according to Fox News.

Fox News Digital also reported that it contacted Pabst Blue Ribbon and the Montclair Police Department for additional comment.

For now, the whereabouts of a truck carrying 40,000 pounds of beer remain unknown—and investigators are trying to determine whether the unusual theft was an isolated crime or part of a broader cargo fraud operation.