Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer Heist Prompts $20,000 Reward

• Who: Pabst Brewing Company’s Blue Ribbon brand (produced under contract by Anheuser-Busch) and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer.

Pabst Blue Ribbon offers $20,000 reward to help find its missing beer

• What: Two cargo thefts involving roughly 40,000 lb (18,144 kg) of beer, valued at about $70,000.

“We Want It Back” – Pabst Blue Ribbon Offers $20,000 Reward After Even More Beer Was Stolen In Second Heist

• When: Both incidents occurred on August 17.

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• Where: An Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, California, about 40 mi (65 km) east of Los Angeles.

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• How:

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1. A shipment destined for Tucson, Arizona, worth roughly $45,000 was taken.

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2. An hour later, a “purported subcontracting company” presented fraudulent paperwork and removed a second load valued at roughly $25,000, consisting of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Old Milwaukee cases.

Pabst Blue Ribbon offers $20,000 reward to help find its missing beer

Cargo theft is a growing problem for food and beverage supply chains. Earlier incidents this year involved oysters, lobster, crabmeat, and a large KitKat theft in Europe. Industry observers note the Pabst loss as one of the largest beer-theft cases on record.

Pabst Blue Ribbon offers $20,000 reward to help find its missing beer

• Total estimated value: $70,000.

Pabst Blue Ribbon offers $20,000 reward to help find its missing beer

• Weight of stolen product: 40,000 lb (18,144 kg).

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• Quantity reports:

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• ABC News cites 1,602 cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee.

Pabst Blue Ribbon offers $20,000 reward to help find its missing beer

• Other outlets break the load into 546 cases of 12-oz cans, 860 cases of 15-25-oz cans, and 196 cases of Old Milwaukee 12-oz cans.

“We Want It Back” – Pabst Blue Ribbon Offers $20,000 Reward After Even More Beer Was Stolen In Second Heist

• August 17: First shipment ($45,000) intercepted; second shipment ($25,000) taken with falsified documents.

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• Later in August: Pabst posted a “STOLEN” graphic and an 18-day, 44-minute countdown for the return of the truckload.

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• September 9: Deadline for reward eligibility; tips submitted before this date may earn up to $5,000, with a maximum of $20,000 for later information.

“We Want It Back” – Pabst Blue Ribbon Offers $20,000 Reward After Even More Beer Was Stolen In Second Heist

• Pabst leadership: CEO Greig DeBow announced on TikTok that the company will pay up to $20,000 for information leading to recovery and that the beer should be returned by September 9.

Pabst Blue Ribbon offers $20,000 reward to help find its missing beer

• Montclair Police Department: Confirmed the two thefts, noted similarities, and urged anyone with information about the incidents, vehicles, driver, or delivery company to contact the department.

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• Pabst marketing: Senior director of integration marketing Paul Meyers said the company has received a strong public response to its appeal.

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• “I'm sure they look cool with a garage full of PBR,” — Greig DeBow, CEO, Pabst Brewing Co.

Pabst Blue Ribbon offers $20,000 reward to help find its missing beer

• “Anyone with information regarding the incidents, vehicles, driver, delivery company, or missing cargo is encouraged to contact the Montclair Police Department at 909-621-4771.” — Montclair Police Department

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• “We’ve had a great response so far,” — Paul Meyers, senior director of integration marketing

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• The exact case count differs between sources (1,602 cases vs. the detailed breakdown). No definitive figure has been confirmed.

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• While the total value of $70,000 is consistent, the composition of the first $45,000 shipment remains unclear.

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Pabst has set a September 9 deadline for reward eligibility. Tips can be emailed to [hotline@pabst.com] or sent via direct message on the company’s social-media channels. The Montclair Police Department continues to investigate and encourages the public to report any leads at 909-621-4771.

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