The double beer heist: cans worth $70,000 stolen - the company responded in an original way

A mystery in California: the police in the city of Montclair in Southern California are investigating a highly unusual theft case. Tens of thousands of beer cans were stolen from a logistics warehouse in two separate robberies that occurred on the exact same day using the same method. According to the police, the total value of the loot is estimated at approximately $70,000.

While authorities are trying to determine if a single gang is behind both operations, the affected beer company, Pabst Blue Ribbon, chose to make lemonade out of lemons and turned the robbery into a humorous promotion on social media. The events took place on August 17 at a distribution center of the beverage giant Anheuser-Busch, located about 65 kilometers east of Los Angeles.

In the first robbery, a truck picked up a shipment of beer worth $45,000 that was intended to reach Tucson, Arizona – but the goods never arrived at their destination. Just an hour later, representatives of what was presented as a "subcontractor company" appeared at the site. They presented forged documents, and using them, managed to collect another shipment worth $25,000 and disappear without interference. In total, about 34,000 cans (more than 1,500 cases) of Pabst beer were stolen, as well as non-alcoholic beer of the Old Milwaukee brand.

Despite the financial damage, Pabst chose a lighthearted approach. In posts published on Instagram, the company noted that the weight of the stolen cargo is about 18 tons (40,000 pounds) and even began a humorous countdown demanding its return.

"Dear thief: we don't blame you for wanting to show off to your friends the amount of beer you have, we just regret that you didn't get it in a respectable way," the company's statement read.

To avoid confusion among followers who might have thought it was a PR stunt, the company signed off the post with a clarification: "P.S. - this story is real and we are completely serious."