More than 70,000 pints of Guinness have been stolen after two lorry trailers loaded with barrels of the popular stout were taken from an industrial estate in Cheshire.
Police said around 800 barrels were taken during two separate incidents at a depot on Aston Lane, Runcorn, on Bank Holiday Monday.
The Guinness alone is estimated to be worth about £115,000, while the combined value of the beer, trailers and other stolen property is thought to be approximately £205,000.
Cheshire Constabulary said officers were investigating after the first HGV arrived at the site at about 7.45pm.
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The vehicle was connected to a trailer carrying Guinness and left approximately 10 minutes later, travelling towards the Mersey Gateway Bridge.
A second HGV was then reported at the depot at 9.12pm.
Police said its driver connected to another trailer containing barrels of Guinness, before departing at around 9.30pm in the direction of Rainhill and Watkinson Way.
The two trailers were carrying enough Guinness to produce roughly 70,400 pints, with the stock originally destined for pubs.
The depot is located on the Whitehouse Industrial Estate, where Diageo, the company behind Guinness, operates a packaging warehouse.
Detectives believe both lorries were driven by men and have released descriptions of the drivers as part of their appeal for information.
The first driver has been described as a white man with a short dark beard who was wearing a beanie hat.
The second man was believed to have been wearing a cap.
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The trailers themselves are described as white, tri-axle curtain-side vehicles bearing GXO branding on their curtains and rear doors.
Police have provided the identifying numbers DL736 and DL542, which are positioned in the upper-left corner of the rear doors.
Officers are particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw suspicious activity around Aston Lane at the time of the first theft.
They are also appealing to motorists who may have travelled along the routes taken by the vehicles and captured footage on dashcams.
Police said they hoped to recover both trailers and the stolen Guinness and urged anyone with information to come forward.
Anyone who witnessed the incidents, saw either vehicle or has dashcam footage that could assist the investigation can contact Cheshire Constabulary through its website or by calling 101.
Callers should quote incident number IML-2408641.
Police continue to investigate how the two trailers were removed from the depot during the same evening and where the valuable cargo was taken.
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