The Beer of the Festival award was reintroduced at the 31st Durham Beer Festival in 2011. The winner and runner up were chosen by a ballot open to all attendees. The recent winners are:
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Joint: Blueberry Classic (Coach House) Little House of the Rising Sun (Brinkburn Street) | Joint: Prince Bishop (Big Lamp) Monkey Wrench (Daleside) | |
| 2018 | |||
| 2017 | Tiramisu Porter (North Riding brewery of Scarborough) | Citra (Oakham) | Chocolate & Vanilla Stout (Titanic) |
| 2016 | Orkney Blast (Swannay) | Joint:Test Brew (Castle Eden) Jakehead (Wylam) | - |
| 2015 | 1872 Porter (Elland) | Plum Porter (Titanic) | Lemon Dream (Salopian) |
| 2014 | Dart Frog (Mordue) | Grainger Ale – from the wood (Hadrian Border) | Columbus IPA (Durham) |
| 2013 | Thai Red (Hill Island) | Old Hooky (Hook Norton) | - |
| 2012 | Joint: Thai PA (Hill Island) Oscar Wilde Mild (Mighty Oak) | Temptation (Durham Brewery) | - |
| 2011 | Viennese Maltz (Durham Brewery) | Jaipur IPA (Thornbridge) | - |