Pabst offers reward for return of 40,000 pound haul of beer stolen from California warehouse

Montclair, California (AP) - Thieves stole an estimated $70,000 worth of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Old Milwaukee beer from a Southern California warehouse on August 17. The thefts, which police described as two separate heists, occurred at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center located about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.

The first heist reportedly involved $45,000 worth of beer, which was picked up but never delivered to its destination in Tucson, Arizona. An hour later, a "purported subcontracting company" submitted fake documents to secure another $25,000 worth of beer.

Police are investigating whether the two thefts were part of a single operation. The stolen goods included roughly 34,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer, totaling more than 1,500 cases. Pabst Blue Ribbon has turned the thefts into a light-hearted social media promotion, estimating the weight of the stolen cargo at 40,000 pounds and launching a countdown seeking its return.

The company issued a statement to the thief, stating, "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."