[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Pabst taps public for help after beer truck theft
Company reaches out to social media after $70,000 worth of beer stolen in California
Pabst has had fun with the heist while also clarifying the cargo theft is real and serious. (Ivan Moreno/Associated Press)
Key Takeaways:
- Pabst Brewing Co. publicized the Aug. 17 theft of about 40,000 pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer from a Southern California warehouse.
- AP says the beer was stolen from an Anheuser-Busch distribution center 40 miles east of Los Angeles.
- Pabst is seeking public tips and offering a reward while police investigate.
Pabst Brewing Co. is bringing attention to the theft of one of its trucks from a Southern California warehouse, a crime that could be part of a wider cargo theft operation involving the beer maker.
The Aug. 17 theft allegedly involved about 40,000 pounds of the company’s Pabst Blue Ribbon beer valued at about $70,000. The San Antonio-based beer maker has made a few posts on its Instagram page about the incident since Aug. 21. The posts have generally taken a humorous tone while also asking the public for help recovering the missing load. The first post even addressed the thieves directly.
“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,” Pabst wrote Aug. 21. “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.”
Pabst followed up on that post the next week with a graphic for the truck that was designed to look like a classic missing pet poster. The company posted a few days afterward clarifying the reported incident is real while also saying it may be the biggest beer heist ever.
“Beer is getting warmer, trail is getting colder,” Pabst wrote in a follow-up post. “Clock’s still ticking. If you think you saw our truckload of beer, snap a photo and tag us … or DM us with any info on its whereabouts.”
Image
Pabst posted its first Facebook/Instagram on the theft on Aug. 21. (Pabst Blue Ribbon via Facebook)
The Associated Press on Aug. 31 reported on two separate cargo thefts of PBR, both occurring Aug. 17 at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.
In the first heist, about $45,000 worth of beer headed to Tucson, Ariz., was picked up but never delivered, according to police. An hour later, a “purported subcontracting company” submitted fake documents to pick up another $25,000 worth of beer, Montclair, Calif., police said in a release.
Image
(Pabst Blue Ribbon via Facebook)
The trucking industry has long dealt with cargo thefts, but the situation has evolved rapidly in the years after the coronavirus pandemic. The problem isn’t just a rise in the number of thefts but also the increasing sophistication of tactics. Verisk CargoNet reported 3,594 supply chain crime events across the United States and Canada in 2025, totaling $725 million in losses.
Image
More than 1,500 cases of beer were stolen. (Pabst Blue Ribbon via Facebook)
