Two separate beer pickups left a Southern California warehouse an hour apart and never came back, totaling about $70,000 in Pabst Blue Ribbon, according to Montclair police. Investigators are examining whether the Aug. 17 thefts were part of a single operation, police said.
Back-to-back pickups, both gone
In the first case, about $45,000 worth of beer bound for Tucson, Arizona, “was picked up but never delivered,” Montclair police said in a news release. Roughly an hour later, a “purported subcontracting company” used fake documents to pick up another $25,000 in beer, according to the same release. Both incidents occurred at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.
How much beer was taken?
About 34,000 cans—more than 1,500 cases—of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee were stolen, according to a police report obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
On Instagram, Pabst put the missing cargo at 40,000 pounds (18,145 kilograms) and launched a countdown seeking its return.
Pabst’s tone—and its quotes
The Associated Press reported that Pabst Blue Ribbon turned the thefts into a light-hearted social media promotion. In posts quoted in the source material, the company addressed the culprit: “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,” adding, “P.s. this is real and we are deadly serious.”
Outside characterization
ABC News, in a tweet dated Aug. 29, 2026, described the incident as “what may be the biggest beer heist ever.” That characterization is ABC’s; Montclair police have not made that claim in the materials cited here.
What police are probing
Montclair police said investigators are working to determine whether the two thefts were part of a single coordinated operation.
