The two biggest names in Minnesota beermaking are going head to head Saturday, when Summit and Surly are both holding super-sized parties at their breweries. For Summit, it's time to celebrate 25 years of being a pioneer in the craft beer business. For Surly, it's the annual SurlyFest, a red-hot event that carries added significance this year -- one more chance to celebrate the passing of the Surly bill.

But did these massive beer-taculars have to happen on the same day? Some Twin Cities beer nuts are crying conspiracy. Is one brewery trying to upstage the other? Is there a beef brewing?

The answer: No way. The bosses at both breweries told me emphatically: It's just a scheduling coincidence. And according to both men -- Mark Stutrud at Summit and Omar Ansari at Surly -- the outcome is just one awesome day for Minnesota beer lovers (unless you wanted to go to both).

If you were planning to attend either, we hope you have your tickets. Summit tickets are disappearing quickly and SurlyFest tickets are only available on Craigslist now. For you lucky ones, here's what to expect.

Surly: 1,500 beer lovers will get a commemorative stein and four beer tokens with a SurlyFest ticket at the Brooklyn Center brewery.

Summit: More than 3,000 people are expected to party behind the brewery in St. Paul. It's also a benefit for the Minnesota Music Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the music community.

Surly: Headlining is the 4onthefloor, the blues-punk rock outfit whose members never saw a kick drum they didn't like. Opening are the Bratwurst Brothers and the Sex Rays.

Surly: Most of Surly's lineup will be available, plus the debut of this year's SurlyFest, a dry-hopped rye lager.

Summit: The brewery has pared down its portfolio to the classic EPA, Oktoberfest, Pilsner and the Silver Anniversary Ale (a hopped-up version of the EPA).

Surly: "It's probably the Summit EPA," Ansari said. "It's the one I get to drink the most. Like a lot of Minnesotans, it's how I was introduced to craft beer. So it holds a special place in my heart."

Summit: "The last one that really impressed me was Surly Smoke," Stutrud said. "I like the depth of that particular beer."

Surly: "They are the guys that made it all possible for craft beer in Minnesota," Ansari said. "They blazed the trail. You have to admire that. I don't know if we could have done it 25 years ago."

Surly: Shopping for a new brewery. After getting the pint law passed this summer, Ansari said his team will begin looking at locations, with a decision coming within the next four months. But building the $20 million brewery could take two to three years.

Summit: "Besides turning 26?" Stutrud said. In all seriousness, the brewery is contemplating its own expansion, one that could possibly bring its barrel count to 275,000.