Pabst Blue Ribbon reward is on the table as the brewer seeks help finding a large shipment of beer stolen last month in Southern California.
Greig DeBow, CEO of Pabst Brewing Co., announced Wednesday that the company will pay up to $20,000 for information that leads to the recovery of 1,602 cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee. The product disappeared on Aug. 17 in the Inland Empire, according to company officials.
DeBow said in a TikTok post that while thieves might think a garage stacked with PBR looks cool, the company wants the beer returned.
Pabst Blue Ribbon reward targets two Aug. 17 thefts
Montclair police said the beer was taken in two separate thefts the same day from an Anheuser-Busch distribution center about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. In the first incident, a load valued at about $45,000 and bound for Tucson, Arizona, was picked up but never delivered.
About an hour later, a purported subcontractor presented fraudulent paperwork to collect another load worth roughly $25,000, police said.
In total, thieves made off with approximately 40,000 pounds of beer. Police estimated the value of the stolen product at $70,000.
The company asked that the beer be returned by Sept. 9. Anyone with tips is urged to email hotline@pabst.com.
Food and drink heists drawing attention
The case follows other recent high-profile thefts involving food products. Late last year in New England, separate incidents saw 40,000 oysters stolen, lobster valued at $400,000 taken, and a haul of crabmeat disappear.
In March, Nestlé reported that 413,793 KitKat bars headed for Poland were stolen after leaving a production site in Italy.
For Hawaiʻi consumers, mainland supply disruptions can ripple across island shelves, potentially affecting visitor arrivals and spending patterns. Officials did not indicate whether the stolen beer was bound for Hawaiʻi.
