Somebody in Southern California has a whole lot of Pabst Blue Ribbon right now.

Approximately 40,000 pounds of PBR, more than 50,000 cans of beer, disappeared from an Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, California, on August 17 in what has all the makings of one of the more audacious beer heists we’ve come across.

And yes, this is real.

Early reports, including Pabst Blue Ribbon’s own social media posts, suggested that an entire truck loaded with beer had been stolen. Authorities have since clarified that the vehicle itself wasn’t taken. The cargo was.

Which is still an awful lot of missing beer.

According to the Montclair Police Department, investigators are actually looking into two cargo thefts that took place about an hour apart at the same distribution center.

The first involved a shipment valued at approximately $45,000 that was picked up around 10 a.m. for delivery to Tucson, Arizona, but never arrived.

According to Fox News, about an hour later, someone claiming to represent a subcontracting company allegedly used fraudulent paperwork to arrange the pickup of approximately $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst Blue Ribbon products.

Police found enough similarities between the two incidents that they are investigating whether both were part of the same fraudulent cargo theft operation.

But it was the missing PBR that got everybody’s attention.

Pabst Blue Ribbon has been around since 1844, growing from its Milwaukee brewing roots into one of America’s most recognizable beer brands. The famous blue ribbon entered the picture in the 1880s, when ribbons were tied around bottles of what was then called Best Select, and Pabst Blue Ribbon became the beer’s official name near the end of the century.

Over the decades PBR has ridden more than its share of cultural waves. Once promoted as “The Premium Beer at a Popular Price,” the lager eventually found an unlikely second life with younger drinkers, musicians, artists and slackers, transforming what could have become another fading legacy beer into one of the country’s most enduringly cool old-school brands.

And that slightly irreverent personality was on full display when PBR took to Instagram after the beer disappeared.

“STOLEN – 40,000lbs of beer,” the company announced before addressing whoever was responsible directly.

“To the thief: 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 then started a very specific clock, giving those responsible exactly 18 days and 44 minutes to return the beer, no questions asked.

The 18:44 countdown is a not-so-subtle reference to 1844, the year the company traces its beginnings to.

PBR also announced that it would offer a reward for information that helps solve the mystery, before adding an important clarification for anyone who assumed this whole thing was another typically strange Pabst marketing stunt.

“P.s. this is real and we are deadly serious.

Hours later, the brand returned to Instagram with an update that may be the best summary of the situation yet.

“Beer is getting warmer, trail is getting colder. Clock’s still ticking.”

PBR also asked fans who spot anything suspicious to take a photo and tag the company or send information directly through Instagram.

Pabst also offered one final thought before authorities clarified that it was the cargo, rather than the truck itself, that had disappeared.

“We hope that whoever managed to steal our truck also knows the importance of keeping beer cold.”

Fair point.

Because stealing 40,000 pounds of Pabst Blue Ribbon is bad enough.

Letting it get warm would just be criminal.

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