Ernie “Nesto” Costello and his brewing partner Bill Crisafulli cofounded the Sycamore Creek Brewing Cooperative in 2002 as a group of homebrewing friends. Sycamore Creek has added Pete Tortolani, Keith Pelton, and Hirendu Vaishnav to its ranks in recent years and is affiliated with the Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiants (DOZE) homebrew club. Nesto has been the creative mind behind the recipes of Sycamore Creek. Beginning his competitive career as a brewer and cider maker in 2013, Nesto has already won many awards for his delicious creations including Best of Show at the 2014 Santa Cruz County Fair for Nesto’s Weizen. He loves making and drinking phenolic-driven German and Belgian style beers, sour and wild creations, as well as deep, rich, roasty stouts. Nesto’s alter-ego, Ernie has had careers in engineering, strategy, finance, and higher education as well as developing and consulting on business plans and strategies for brewing ventures.