Company offering reward for safe return of truckload of beer

What the report says

Pabst Brewing Company is asking for help recovering a stolen truckload of Blue Ribbon beer after police said someone used false paperwork to collect the shipment from a distribution centre in Montclair, California, and drive away with it. The company has promoted the appeal on social media and says it is offering a reward for information that leads to the beer’s return.

According to Montclair police, the alleged theft involved about 40,000 pounds of beer, worth roughly $25,000, and the shipment was supposed to go to San Diego. Officers said the same distribution centre was also targeted in a separate cargo theft on the same day, with investigators examining whether both cases were part of one fraudulent operation. In that earlier incident, a shipment valued at $45,000 and bound for Tucson, Arizona, disappeared after pickup.

Pabst said the incident is being treated seriously despite its unusual nature. The company and police both described the suspect as someone who impersonated the authorised pickup party using discrepant trucking details and documents. Pabst’s public message framed the appeal as time-sensitive, but did not state any deadline for a formal recovery process beyond its social media campaign. The case highlights ongoing concerns about cargo theft and fraud at freight facilities, especially where shipments move through third-party distributors.