diff --git a/Lib/packaging/tests/test_command_sdist.py b/Lib/packaging/tests/test_command_sdist.py
--- a/Lib/packaging/tests/test_command_sdist.py
+++ b/Lib/packaging/tests/test_command_sdist.py
@@ -14,8 +14,9 @@
 from os.path import join
 from packaging.dist import Distribution
 from packaging.util import find_executable
-from packaging.errors import PackagingOptionError
+from packaging.errors import IrrationalVersionError, PackagingOptionError
 from packaging.command.sdist import sdist, show_formats
+from packaging.version import NormalizedVersion as V
 
 from test.support import captured_stdout
 from packaging.tests import support, unittest
@@ -387,6 +388,12 @@
         cmd.run()
         self.assertIn('bah', cmd.filelist.files)
 
+    def test_version(self):
+        # http://bugs.python.org/issue11060
+        dist, cmd = self.get_cmd()
+        dist.metadata['version'] = '0.4.5dev'
+        self.assertRaises(IrrationalVersionError, V, dist.metadata['version'])
+
 
 def test_suite():
     return unittest.makeSuite(SDistTestCase)