Pabst Blue Ribbon Demands Stolen Beer Truck Back In 18 Days

A massive truck loaded with 40,000 pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer simply vanished in California. Police say this missing haul is likely part of a bold cargo-theft ring that snatched roughly $70,000 worth of booze in just one morning.

Pabst Blue Ribbon confirmed the truck and shipment were stolen. The company told the suspect they get it if you feel tempted to brag about moving that much PBR around, but they really wished the thief had taken things "the honorable way."

Here is what makes this odd: the brand set a precise deadline for the return of the vehicle. They gave the alleged thief exactly 18 days and 44 minutes to bring the truck back with no questions asked. Pabst also promised a reward for anyone who helps solve the case, though they never said how much cash or why they picked such an exact time limit.

The brand later posted again just to squash rumors that this bizarre disappearance was some kind of marketing stunt. "To clear up the confusion, this story is real," Pabst wrote in their second post. They urged anyone with tips on solving the case to drop a direct message right away. As the countdown began, the company warned that the beer is getting warmer while the trail goes cold. They asked people who think they saw the truck to snap a photo, tag Pabst, or send info about where it might be going.

Montclair police are looking into two cargo thefts reported on Aug. 17 at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center that investigators believe could be linked together. In the first incident, a shipment worth about $45,000 bound for Tucson, Arizona was picked up around 10 a.m. local time but never showed up. About an hour later, police said a company claiming to be a subcontractor used fake paperwork to arrange the pickup of roughly $25,000 in Anheuser-Busch and Pabst Blue Ribbon products. Investigators found discrepancies in the trucking-company details, driver info, and vehicles connected to those pickups. The cases may be part of the same fraudulent cargo-theft operation, police said.

No one has been publicly identified yet. Police have released few details on how the truck disappeared or where the load might be now. They also have not announced any public leads. This leaves an open question: does the shipment remain intact or has it already been broken up and distributed? The beer brand's comments section quickly became a keg-sized comedy club. One commenter joked that the haul "would've only been 20,000lbs if it was Pabst Light," while another asked if the reward was actually all the beer in the truck. Kit Kat's verified account joined in too, writing, "I know a thing or two about these kinds of things." That seems to reference a March 26 incident where a truck carrying 12 tons of limited-edition Formula 1 car-shaped KitKat chocolate bars was stolen in Italy. Another commenter offered the most likely destination for 40,000 pounds of missing beer, "Somebody's about to have a huge house party."

Anyone with information on the thefts, vehicles, driver, delivery company or missing cargo is asked to contact the Montclair Police Department at 909-621-4771. Fox News Digital reached out to Pabst Blue Ribbon and the Montclair Police Department for comment.