So you think you know 220v wiring? Well i need your help.

[itsnotrequired]

Why cant he plug his 30a panel into a 50a circuit without swapping the main breaker? Surely the control panel has breakers or fuses to protect all the smaller circuits inside and come out anyway right? Its no different than plugging a lamp that draws 60w max into a 15 amp household outlet. Or is it?

i don't know what is in his panel but in general you are correct, you wouldn't need to swap out the 50 amp breaker with a 30 amp. if it were me, i would do it just for that extra layer of protection, sizing the breaker closer to the load size. there are sections in the code that dictate maximum overcurrent protection size as related to load but it would depend on what type of equipment a brewery control panel is. is it an appliance? an industrial control panel? there are some interpretation issues, can be argued a couple different ways.