Beer company offers reward after $25,000 worth of alcohol stolen in 'mystery' heist

A beloved American beer brand is offering an undisclosed reward for anyone who can help locate five figures’ worth of missing product stolen from a distribution centre in broad daylight.

ABC 11 reported that the scam could actually go down as the biggest beer heist in history—here’s what you need to know.

At around 11am on 17 August at the Anheuser-Busch distribution centre at 4545 Brooks Street in Montclair, California, 40,000 pounds of beer were stolen by a ‘bad actor’ posing as a delivery driver, as per the local police department.

“Approximately $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch/Pabst Blue Ribbon product was obtained after a purported subcontracting company submitted fraudulent documentation to arrange the pickup,” a Facebook post read.

Pabst Blue Ribbon offering ‘reward’

After news that Pabst Blue Ribbon had become the victim of a heist broke, the Wisconsin-based company took to social media, pleading with thieves to come clean.

“STOLEN - 40,000lbs of beer. 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,” the business wrote on 21 August.

“Pabst is officially starting the clock now - you have exactly 18 days and 44 minutes to return our truckload of beer, no questions asked. Leading up to that time, we will be offering a reward to anyone who can help us solve this mystery.

“P.s. this is real and we are deadly serious,” PBR added.

In a further update, shared on 25 August, the company admitted it still had not found its truckload of beer.

“Beer is getting warmer, trail is getting colder. Clock’s still ticking,” it said via Instagram.

“If you think you saw our truckload of beer, snap a photo and tag us… or DM us with any info on its whereabouts.”

Investigators think PBR theft is ‘linked’ to another

Investigators are currently working to discover whether the stolen beer is related to another incident which occured earlier in the day.

It saw a shipment, valued at approximately $45,000, destined for Tucson, Arizona, being picked up for delivery. Officers said ‘it never arrived at its intended destination’.

“Investigators identified similarities between the two incidents and are investigating whether they were committed as part of the same fraudulent cargo-theft operation,” the statement read.

“Information provided regarding the trucking company, driver, and vehicles involved contained discrepancies and is currently being investigated.”

It’s understood that the combined reported value of the missing cargo is approximately $70,000.

The investigation remains active and ongoing. 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 (tel:909-621-4771).

KitKat ‘know a thing or two’ about stolen deliveries

Hilariously, KitKat has responded to the PBR Instagram post.

The confectionery company’s response comes after it too was stung by a delivery scam earlier this year.

“I know a thing or two about these kinds of things,” the official KitKat social media account wrote.

In March, the Swiss food giant reported that 400,000 bars of its iconic chocolate had been pilfered by a truck driving from central Italy to a distribution site in Pland.

“We've always encouraged people to have a break with KITKAT - but it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate,” a spokesperson stated at the time.

“Whilst we appreciate the criminals' exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes.”

“With more sophisticated schemes being deployed on a regular basis, we have chosen to go public with our own experience in the hope that it raises awareness of an increasingly common criminal trend."