Error: version number does not start with digit

I have successfully installed my air app with no version number does not start with digit error. What I did was to downgrade my dpkg-1.16.0 to dpkg-1.15.8 using the following command:

 dpkg --force-downgrade -i /pathofnewdpkg/dpkg_1.15.8.4ubuntu3_i386.deb

I have downloaded the older package here.

Since the version-policy is enforced on the current version of dpkg, the dpkg-1.16.0, installing an air app that violates this versioning policy of Debian will really cause an error.

For me on (L)Ubuntu 15.10, it was as simple as changing the version, from "stable" to "1":

*****************************************
**** Debian package creation selected ***
*****************************************

This package will be built according to these values: 

0 -  Maintainer: [ root@anon ]
1 -  Summary: [ redis - web interface ]
2 -  Name:    [ redis ]
3 -  Version: [ stable ]
4 -  Release: [ 1 ]
5 -  License: [ GPL ]
6 -  Group:   [ checkinstall ]
7 -  Architecture: [ amd64 ]
8 -  Source location: [ redis-stable ]
9 -  Alternate source location: [  ]
10 - Requires: [  ]
11 - Provides: [ redis ]
12 - Conflicts: [  ]
13 - Replaces: [  ]

Enter a number to change any of them or press ENTER to continue: 3
Enter new version: 
>> 1