PORTAGE, MI -- Latitude 42 Brewing Co. will unveil a beer Friday in memory of Mattawan teen Taylor Grainger, and a portion of proceeds will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The tapping of "Taylor's Wish," a golden ale infused with blood orange, will start at 4:01 p.m. Friday at Latitude 42, 7842 Portage Rd. in Portage, according to a press release.
Taylor, a 14-year-old Mattawan Middle School student, died in May 2007 after collapsing while watching a softball game at the Mattawan Little League complex.
She had been struggling with a condition called PLE -- short for protein-losing enteropathy -- thought to be brought on by the Fontan Procedure, a heart surgery Taylor had undergone. She had a congenital heart defect that required several open-heart surgeries.
PLE is a syndrome characterized by the severe loss of proteins into the intestinal tract.
Members of Team Taylor, a cycling team founded in honor of Taylor that raises funds for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan, also will be at Friday's event.
Emily Monacelli covers higher education and craft beer for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Contact her at emonacel@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter.