Thieves swipe $70,000 worth of Pabst beer from California warehouse

Police in Montclair, California, are investigating two separate thefts of Pabst beer from a distribution center on August 17. The stolen cargo, valued at roughly $70,000, included about 34,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer, amounting to more than 1,500 cases.

The first theft involved about $45,000 worth of beer that was picked up for delivery to Tucson, Arizona, but never arrived. An hour later, a purported subcontracting company presented fake documents and took another $25,000 worth of beer. Both incidents occurred at an Anheuser-Busch facility about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.

Pabst Brewing Company has responded with a light-hearted social media campaign, posting on Instagram a countdown for the beer's return and addressing the thief directly. The company noted the stolen cargo weighed about 40,000 pounds and joked that while they understand the desire to brag about having PBR, they wish it had been obtained honorably. They added that the situation is real and they are "deadly serious."

Montclair police said Friday that investigators are trying to determine whether the two thefts were part of a single operation.