ok…I need your help with this.

Hey Guys.
I have a lager brewing from a kit that went into the fermenter on the 20th of January. My og was 1038. The weather was definitely too warm for a lager but we have all made rookie mistakes and I know next time I'll have better means of keeping it cool. But within two days my gravity reading was at 1016. Ok, fine…but my next reading on the 26th was again 1016. The 27th…1016.
So I'm thinking it's time to bottle. Yes I'm going to have a lesser alcohol content but again it's my rookie brew.
I start to prepare for bottling this morning and I think to myself "let"s check the gravity again" and what do you know…it"s 1012.
Now, it has cleared up nicely. There has been no bubbling or movement from the airlock, although I understand that means nothing. There's sediment on the bottom of the fermenter. It tastes good too.

My question is what do I do?
Will it do any harm to leave it for a couple more days?
Should I just bottle it?

Thanks in advance for any advice.
Matt.

Leave it for a few more days. It will be fine.

Im a rookie still, but I'd totally say leave it a few more days. Time makes good beer great, I've found.

Thanks guys.

I would even extend that and leave it in the fermenter for another 10 - 14 days. A longer ferment will clear the beer more and allow the yeast to clean up off flavors that are produced during the height of fermentation. Most of my beers, all ales so far have taken longer than 7 days just to stop bubbling. I have never bottled in less than 3 weeks so I don't know when my brews hit FG.

Ah that answers my next question perfectly. I was going to ask if there will be a time when I have left it in the fermenter too long.

So the decision is made. It'll stay in there for at least another week.

I knew you guys would help.
Thanks a million.

Two weeks is really the minimum. The bulk of the fermentation happens fairly quickly, but that doesn't mean the yeast are finished. You want to let them clean up the mess they made converting all that sugar to alcohol